The ex-parliamentarian accused of child abuse and his lawyer, Oleg Shibkov, appeared in Court on Wednesday. Bartoševičius did not comment on the case to journalists before or after the hearing.
When the Court started questioning the accused, his lawyer, Oleg Shibkov, claimed that Bartoševičius continued to deny his guilt.
„The interrogation of (K. Bartoševičius – ELTA) took place. He cannot make any special comments because he was told his opinion about the charges and the course of events. The opinion is that the guilt is denied; he does not admit his guilt in all the episodes“, – the lawyer commented.
O. Shibkov did not disclose what arguments or documents he intends to use in Bartoševičius' defence.
„I can't reveal what we have now,“ said Bartoševičius' defence lawyer.
O. Shibkov claimed he could not comment further on the case details, which are being heard in closed sessions.
The Panevėžys Regional Court concluded the questioning of Bartoševičius on Wednesday afternoon. After the questioning, the defendant's lawyer, O. Shibkov, told journalists that the Court had carried out the first steps in the case, so he would not comment further on his client's situation or his opinion about the case.
„Sometime in the future, we will say more, of course, but not now“, the lawyer said.
Prosecutor: the accused answers questions
Prosecutor Donatas Skrebiškis, who supports the state prosecution, told journalists that Bartoševičius is answering questions during the court hearing.
„The accused is giving testimony, answering the questions, expressing his position,“ the prosecutor said.
He did not elaborate on the content of the charges brought against Bartoševičius. Still, he confirmed that according to law enforcement data, possible criminal acts were committed for over a year.
D. Skrebiškis stressed that it was difficult to assess the testimony of Bartoševičius for the time being, but he insisted that he believed that the case should not collapse.
„The prosecutor who organised this pre-trial investigation convinced that sufficient evidence had been gathered in the case, decided to conclude this process by drawing up an indictment. The case was referred to the Panevėžys Regional Court for the offences for which the defendant is charged. It cannot be said that the case will collapse or that a different decision will be taken,“ the prosecutor explained.
According to Mr Skrebiškis, Mr Bartoševičius is currently subject to a restriction of access to his bank account and to preventive measures such as a written promise not to leave country and confiscation of his documents.
The Court has accepted three civil actions in the case. The nature of these claims is not publicly commented upon.
As the charges against Bartoševičius are related to possible sexual offences against children, the hearings are held behind closed doors.
During the first hearing of the case, the Court decided not to grant the request of the accused, K. Bartoševičius, to transfer the case to Vilnius Regional Court.
Parents of the victims and minor witnesses will be questioned
Jolita Gudelienė, spokesperson for the Panevėžys Regional Court, told journalists after the hearing that the next hearing in the case is scheduled for 24 January. According to the court spokeswoman, the parents of the minor victims and the parents of the minor witnesses in the case will be questioned at the hearing.
„Eight representatives of the victims, i.e. the parents, and four witnesses, i.e. the parents of the minor witnesses, are scheduled to be questioned during the hearing,“ Gudelienė said.
The representative of the Court pointed out that there are no hearings scheduled in February due to the availability of the participants and judges.
Former Member of the Seimas accused of sexual offences against children
ELTA recalls that in July 2023, the pre-trial investigation against the former MP K. Bartoševičius was completed, and the case of possible sexual offences against children was referred to Court. Bartoševičius is accused of sexual abuse of children (2 episodes), rape of a person under the age of 16 (4 episodes) and minor injuries to minor children (4 episodes).
According to the Prosecutor's Office, there are four victims in the case who were minors at the time of the crimes allegedly committed against them.
K. Bartoševičius, then a member of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats faction in the Seimas, announced his resignation as a Member of the Seimas for personal reasons on 23 January of last year. Later that day, the prosecutor's office announced that an investigation had been opened against him for possible sexual offences against minors.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, the available evidence from the pre-trial investigation suggests that the offences were committed while the suspect was a Member of the Seimas.
