Conflict with Lithuania: Lithuanian businessman in Belarusian prison for fifth month

• 23.05.2008, 16:49

Lithuanian Deputy Minister of Economy Vitautas Nauduzas said cooldown in bilateral relations between Lithuanian and Belarus was possible.

He said it happened in case the Belarusian party wouldn’t settle an issue of detention of a famous Lithuanian businessman, who has been lying in Belarusian prison for the fifth month, Delfi reports.

“Our position was likely to be taken into account, and the matter was put into motion at last, as some compromises were offered. He will apparently be released on bail, it is a great achievement,” V. Nauduzas said.

The case is in Alvidas Jablonskis, head of the Lithuanian Association of Customs Brokers, who is in Belarusian prison now.

“He is a very famous in Lithuania and Europe. A. Jablonskis started serious business project in Belarus at the end of the previous year, but after some months, in January, he began to vomplain to the embassy about various troubles,” V. Nauduzas said.

According to him, A. Jablonskis worked on the inner market of Belarus by extremely complicated and confusing Belarusian laws.

“After some time has passed since he began its activity in Belarus, a backdated amendment to a law was adopted. He apparently needed to redo accounting, but didn’t have enough time,” V. Nauduzas explained.