During the inquiry into the murder of Lithuanian officers at Medininkai Customs Post prosecutors of Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office obtained sufficient evidence to assume that the crime in question was committed by the citizens of Russian Federation, former militiamen of Special Force Militia Unit in Riga belonging to Internal Troops of the USSR – A. R., A. L., Č. M. and K. M. Last year the Court was requested to impose constraint measures upon the aforementioned individuals. On the basis of the Court order the most severe constraint measure, i.e. detention, was imposed upon all the suspects, prosecutors announced their decisions to declare the search for these individuals, and, finally, European Arrest Warrants were issued. Further to one of these EAWs the suspect K. M. was arrested in Latvia; he was surrendered to Lithuania in January 2008. Currently the term of K. M.’s detention has been extended for 3 more months.

During Thursday’s press conference Chief Prosecutor of Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation Department Mr. Algimantas Kliunka announced that during this year Lithuanian prosecution service has been actively corresponding with the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation. Besides, Russian Federation has been provided with the requests seeking extradition of other suspects in the context of this criminal case.

In the beginning of this month the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation responded that the suspects A. L. and Č. M. have been recognised as the citizens of Russian Federation and are therefore barred by its Constitution from their extradition to foreign countries. In addition, they also noted that the inquiry regarding the suspect A. R. is still being considered and that they would notify the Lithuanian prosecution service of decision taken; however, no reply with regard to final decision in this matter has been received yet.

'The suspects are nationals of foreign countries who came to the Republic of Lithuania in the evening of 30 July 1991, committed the crime and left the country in the evening of the following day. Most of witnesses who are important to this inquiry also reside in foreign countries; some of them are absconding law enforcement authorities because of other crimes that they have committed. Therefore, during the performance of procedural actions cooperation with law enforcement officers in other countries is needed,’ A. Kliunka pointed out. According to him, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation has also refused to interview some other witnesses who are imprtant to the investigation saying that, in view of the questions to be posed to them, one might not consider them as witnesses but rather as actual suspects, though such claims are not grounded.

The prosecutors provided no further information with regard to other procedural actions performed in this case.

During pre-trial investigation the following facts have been established: on 31 July 1991, at approx. 5 am, in Medininkai Customs Post, Lithuanian officers, i.e. Vilnius City Customs inspectors Antanas Musteikis and Stanislovas Orlavičius, customs trainee Ričardas Rabavičius, officers serving in Traffic Police Team of Traffic Police Section at Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania Algirdas Kazlauskas and Juozas Janonis, policemen serving in Rapid Response Team ‘Aras’ of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania Algimantas Juozakas and Mindaugas Balavakas, were murdered by the use of Kalashnikov-design submachine guns with sound silencers, special 7.62 mm calibre cartridges shot at their heads and other parts of the body because the victims were discharging their official duties; in addition, an attempt was made to murder Vilnius City Customs inspector Tomas Šernas. A number of firearms belonging to the police officers were stolen from the crime scene, namely, three 5.45 mm calibre submachine guns, two 9 mm calibre handguns, as well as ammunition and speed measurement device of the Traffic Police officers.

According to the prosecutors, the announcement about the completion of pre-trial investigation in this case is intended to be made this year.

---