As the Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday, the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office announced to the suspect Žemaitaitis and his defence counsel that the pre-trial investigation into the suspicion of incitement to hatred and incitement against a group of people on the grounds of their nationality and public support, denial, or gross denigration of international crimes had been concluded. „The data gathered during the pre-trial investigation allow us to reasonably believe that on 8 May, 13 June, 14 June and 15 June 2023, the MP Žemaitaitis published texts on his account on the social network Facebook, in which he possibly publicly mocked, despised and encouraged hatred against a group of people of Jewish nationality, and publicly endorsed the crimes of Nazi Germany,“ the Prosecutor's Office stated in its press release.
According to Gintarė Vitkauskaitė-Šatkauskienė, the Chief Specialist of the Communications Division of the Prosecutor General's Office, suspicions against Žemaitaitis were brought on 7 March.
Once the pre-trial investigation is completed, the suspects and their defence lawyers have the right to familiarise themselves with the material and submit requests to supplement it.
The Prosecutor has set a deadline of 30 April of this year.
ELTA recalls that in February, the Seimas decided to lift the legal immunity of the MP Žemaitaitis. This decision was taken following a request by Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė to allow the politician to be prosecuted, following a pre-trial investigation opened against him on 8 May 2023 for alleged public mockery, contempt of a group of people and incitement to hatred against the Jewish people.
The Constitutional Court ruled that the MP had violated the Constitution
An impeachment procedure was launched against the politician for alleged anti-Semitic statements made by Žemaitaitis in the Seimas. On Thursday, the Constitutional Court (KT) ruled that Žemaitaitis broke his oath as a member of the Seimas and seriously violated the Constitution.
„It turns out that besides Putin, another animal has appeared in the world – ISRAEL“; „We, the Lithuanian nation, must never forget the Jews and Russians, who have actively contributed to the annihilation of our NATION! „; „Maybe next time Israel will drop a bomb on a Palestinian hospital with the words „We blew it up because we were afraid they would attack us <... > I WANT TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO APOLOGISE TO THE PALESTINE AND THE EU FOR YOUR BAD ACTIONS IN THE LIGHT SIDE. And I repeat: „In the wake of such events, it's no wonder why such sayings are born: 'A Jew climbed a ladder and fell accidentally. Take a stick, children, and kill the Jew“ and others.
If the Constitutional Court finds that the oath of a Member of the Seimas has been broken, the mandate of a Member of the Seimas can be revoked by a vote of 85 Seimas in favour.
Žemaitaitis said that after the CC's decision, he planned to resign from the Seimas.
