Lithuania's electoral commission allowed prosecute Viktor Uspaskich for accounting fraud

On Friday, 10 commission members voted in favor of the decision, one was against, and three abstained.

A Vilnius court had asked the electoral commission to revoke Uspaskich's legal immunity as the leader of the Labor Party is under investigation in the party's accounting fraud case, and law enforcement cannot continue their probe as longs as he's immune from persecution.

Uspaskich, who attended the sitting of the Central Electoral Commission, had said he would accept any decision, but asked the commission not to cancel his immunity as such a decision would impede his participation in the election campaign.

"The case is of great volume, dozens of witnesses are being called, we need to prepare. That's one thing. Another thing is that four more hearings are scheduled, and that's great interruption for me to do my job during the election. They prevent me from traveling in Lithuania and meeting with voters," Uspaskich said.

Meanwhile, Saulius Verseckas, prosecutor from the Organized Crimes and Corruption Investigation Department of the prosecutor General's Office, told the commission that prosecutors would have to drop the investigation unless Uspaskich's legal immunity was cancelled.

The Labor Party is accused of failing to include about LTL 25 million (EUR 7.3 million) in income and about LTL 23 million in spending related to property, commitments and structural changes in the party's financial documentation for the 2004-2006 period, and also failing to pay taxes of around LTL 4 million.

Pursuant to the Law on Elections to the Seimas, all candidates for the Seimas acquire legal immunity until the end of the elections, and only the Central Electoral Commission can cancel it.

The Seimas elections are scheduled for 14 October.