A Lithuanian investigation uncovered hidden military ties behind a Galileo project, exposing how European funding allegedly moved through a family-controlled company.
Lithuania revoked the residence permits of 22 Belarusian citizens, forcibly deported them from the country, and banned them from entering the Schengen Area for five years. The authorities deemed these individuals a threat to national security.
This is reported by the State Security Department of Lithuania on Facebook.
They had all worked for a Lithuanian company involved in a project run by the European Union’s space programme agency. According to investigators, the company illegally obtained nearly €447,200 in funding. In addition, the company concealed its ties to Russia’s and Belarus’s military-industrial complexes.
How the EU funding scheme worked
The investigation was conducted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service, and the State Security Department of Lithuania. Investigators established that the company registered in Lithuania had received funding to develop professional satellite navigation receivers for high-precision use of the Galileo system in agriculture.
The total cost of the project exceeded €1 million. The funding was to be provided as follows:
€745,400 was to be provided by the European Union body responsible for the space programme;
€447,200 was actually transferred to the company.
According to Lithuania’s State Security Department, the company was effectively controlled by two Belarusian citizens – a father and son. One of them had acquired Russian citizenship several years earlier.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the beneficiaries replaced the company’s management. In April 2022, a citizen of the United States and Lithuania who belonged to their family was appointed director. Investigators believe this was an attempt to circumvent sanctions restrictions.
Two other Belarusian citizens held senior positions at a Russian company that develops and tests satellite navigation microchips for military purposes. The company is subject to European Union sanctions.
What the court decided
The Vilnius District Court found two Belarusian citizens guilty of fraud in obtaining European Union funds, as well as forging documents and using them. According to the Lithuanian authorities, the defendants pleaded guilty and compensated the damage amounting to €447,200.
At the same time, the Lithuanian authorities did not disclose what punishment the court imposed. It is also unknown whether the convicted individuals were among the 22 Belarusian citizens deported from Lithuania and banned from entering the Schengen Area.