Yesterday the prosecutor of Special Investigations Division of General Prosecutor’s Office made a decision to cancel the pre-trial investigation because of Vladas Garastas speech.

It was found that V. Garastas acts do not contain the elements of a criminal offence. Such a decision was made mainly of two reasons.

The first one was that the journalist did not warn V. Garastas that their phone conversation would be recorded and made public. There is such a requirement in the Law of Provision of Information to the Public. The prosecutor admitted that the opinion expressed by V. Garastas was rude and derogatory. However, it was concluded that such an opinion was not deliberately aimed at humiliation, despise, mocking and incitement of hatred towards the afro-Americans merely on the fact that they belong to this race, but this opinion was actually unconsidered dissatisfaction with the game of particular basketball players.

Also during the pre-trial investigation the Prosecutor’s office received the statement by Kaunas “Žalgiris” club and its foreign players that, because of V. Garastas a public apology, they have no claims to him. This was the second reason.

The prosecutor’s decision is not final. It may be appealed to a higher prosecutor in 14 days.

---