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A.Veryga, who suspended his vacation day for the second time during a press conference on Friday, spoke for the first time about the pre-trial investigation conducted by law enforcement agencies in relation to the purchase of rapid COVID-19 tests and the suspicions presented to the former Deputy Minister of Health L. Jaruševičienė.
On Friday, A.Veryga fulfilled his request for dismissal.
The Financial Crimes Investigation Service (FNTT), which is conducting a pre-trial investigation into the purchase of rapid coronavirus tests, will interview A.Verygas himself on Friday night, at the end of the working day..
L.Jaruševičienė also spoke at the press conference. He said that he had been considering for a long time how to deal with the situation: open the wall of silence or express his opinion and defend himself in public.
“That, I have to say, I don’t want to justify it because I just have nothing to do with it. But I can’t keep quiet, ”said the former vice minister.
He wants to defend himself as an individual
L.Jaruševičienė explained that he is suspected of exceeding his powers, but his conscience is clear. The fired deputy minister said she had done what she had to do and did it honestly.
“And if I had to work in a similar situation and make decisions in the future, I would do the same,” he said.
And if I had to work in a similar situation and make decisions in the future, I would do the same.
L. Jaruševičienė said that he was resigning as deputy minister because he wanted to defend himself and prove his innocence as a private and not a public person.
“And being on the team really casts a shadow over the entire ministry and attracts additional speculation ahead of the election,” he said.
According to L. Jaruševičienė, the COVID-19 pandemic was and is a challenge for all of us: not only for Lithuania, but also for the entire world. We have successfully passed the first stage.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Lina Jaruševičienė, Aurelijus Veryga
“We are happy and proud of the results. They are visible, monitored and evaluated outside of Lithuania. The impression is that Lithuania’s fight against this invisible enemy, the insidious virus, is valued more by foreign countries than by Lithuania itself. Now As I understand it, the stage of evaluating our actions has come. The advisers, the law enforcement authorities, will certainly face challenges in analyzing all our actions and decisions taken under quarantine and emergency conditions in Lithuania. Law enforcement agencies they will have to evaluate the desire to protect the public and the price that the State has paid for it, “said the former Vice Minister of Health, suspect.
Furthermore, in the opinion of L. Jaruševičienė, law enforcement will have to answer the question whether in such circumstances the state should have saved or could have saved, and how it should have acted in a specific situation.
He said he was unable to continue in his work not due to a police investigation, but because of the internal psychological state, the stress experienced during the outbreak of the pandemic and the frustration he is currently experiencing.
L. Jaruševičienė said he could not publicly comment on the details of the pre-trial investigation. But she promised the police to provide all the data, information and explanations.
It’s hard to say goodbye
A.Veryga thanked L. Jaruševičienė, who is leaving his post. She mentioned that it was difficult to get her for the position of vice minister.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Aurelijus Veryga
“And it’s very difficult for me to say goodbye to him in a situation like this. Even more so if you are well aware that it is very difficult to find someone on the team, in positions of political trust, in the run-up to elections and in a very short time. The area is really very complex: personal health care services, organization of hospital work and other things are really very complex. But I really respect Lina’s decision, ”said the Minister of Health.
And it’s really very difficult for me to say goodbye to him in a situation like this.
A.Veryga explained that he understood L.Jaruševičienė’s wish to defend himself as a non-public person. “Defend your position, prove your innocence,” he commented.
The minister said he hoped the situation would not motivate other members of his team to work with her.
He mentioned that the start of a coronavirus pandemic required quick decisions, nobody formed working groups for several months and things like that.
“It’s really very paradoxical to hear questions today, he says, ‘Give an explanation of why you bought so fast and give an explanation of whether you buy fast and if everything will be enough.’ It’s like contradictory things. Which, in fact, seems to show that it is not very understandable and sticky what situation people were working in, that at the time when everyone had to work, no one really looked at the job descriptions, who owned what: the people had to take responsibility very quickly, it was a matter of hours. “, – assured A.Veryga.
A.Veryga said that L.Jaruševičienė did not run the test area. This is the area of responsibility of the next Deputy Minister of Health, Algirdas Šešelgis.
A.Veryga declined to comment further on the situation. He mentioned that he himself would testify before the FNTT on Friday and perhaps find more information there.
At the same time, A.Veryga emphasized that there were many scandalous investigations that ended in nothing.
No complains
The Health Ministry has been rocked by a possible corruption scandal.
Law enforcement in pre-trial investigation of 6 million. The Service submitted reports of misappropriation of rapid coronavirus tests worth EUR 1 billion to L. Jaruševičienė..
On Thursday, President Gitanas Nausėda asked A.Verygas to finish his vacation earlier and provide an explanation about L.Jaruševičienė.
Photo by SAM / Lina Jaruševičienė
In an interview with LRT Radio on Friday, the Health Minister explained that the former subordinate has no complaints..
It is said that suspicions have been removed from his finger and explanations will be removed.
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