Lithuania expelled 22 Belarusians from the country, deeming them a threat to national security
Kyiv • UNN
Lithuania revoked their permits and expelled 22 Belarusians, banning them from entering the Schengen Area for five years. Their company concealed its ties to the defense industries of Russia and Belarus.
Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) reported on Monday that 22 Belarusian citizens who worked for a technology company in the country had been deemed a threat to national security and expelled. LRT reports, UNN writes.
The State Security Department submitted to the Migration Department its findings regarding the activities of 22 Belarusian citizens in Lithuania. The individuals, who worked for a technology company, were deemed a threat to Lithuania’s national security. Their temporary residence permits in Lithuania were revoked
These people were expelled from Lithuania and banned from returning. All 22 were also banned from entering the Schengen Area for five years, the VSD reported.
The Belarusian citizens worked for a company that participated in a project of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and fraudulently obtained nearly €500,000.
An investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and conducted by Lithuania’s Financial Crimes Investigation Service in cooperation with the VSD established that the company concealed ties to the Russian and Belarusian military-industrial complexes.
The aim of the project was to develop high-precision satellite navigation receivers capable of using the Galileo High Accuracy Service for agricultural needs, including controlling agricultural machinery and supporting precision farming operations.
The project’s total budget exceeded €1 million, of which more than €745,000 was funded by EUSPA. In fact, the company received €447,272.