«I don’t want to speculate too much, but if the investigation in 2022 had not been halted and Sharunas Stepukonis had been arrested, there probably wouldn’t be talk of embezzling 40 million euros today. The amount would have been smaller,» said D. Raulushaitis on Tuesday to LRT radio station.
As the lawyer assured, he still hopes that part of the embezzled funds can be recovered, but over time the opportunities for this will diminish.
«For me, the real and most interesting question in this case will be whether there are still funds that could be returned, thus reducing the problem for the fund, the portfolio companies of the fund, and at the same time easing Sharunas Stepukonis’ position,» said D. Raulushaitis.
«Personally, I still have that hope. But over time, this hope dwindles, and I am also a little disappointed with the sluggish start of the investigation, because much could have been done before the media blew it up. But the opportunity was missed,» he noted.
D. Raulushaitis also emphasized that Sharunas Stepukonis does not necessarily have to receive a real prison sentence, as this punishment is rarely applied to first-time offenders of such crimes.