People, if you know that the billions of euros for defense in Lithuania are being stolen, why are you silent? STT started an investigation into V. Rupšys' dental implants: they were paid for by the army

 "The Special Investigation Service (STT) has started a pre-trial investigation against the retired commander of the Lithuanian army, Valdemaras Rupšys. According to the "Delfi" portal, V. Rupšys got dental implants two years ago at the expense of the army. According to "Delfi", after receiving a complaint in the spring with information about V. Rupšys' dental implants, the Ministry of National Defense (KAM) turned to the STT, requesting an assessment and a procedural decision "regarding the circumstances related to the possibly illegally provided health care services". "The Special Investigations Service, after receiving the notification from the Ministry of National Defense and evaluating the initial information, started a pre-trial investigation into possible abuse and into the possible falsification of a document and possession of a forged document," reads the service's response sent to BNS. It states that the investigation was launched in order to find out whether health care services were unreasonably provided in the Lithuanian army. There are currently no charges filed. "We remind you that a pre-trial investigation is started in any case if there is at least a small possibility that a criminal act may have been committed, but this does not mean that a crime has been committed," the comment states.

 V. Rupšys himself claimed that the dental implants were placed in 2022 after he suffered a dental injury during his service. According to him, the incident was recognized as related to the service, which is why it was paid for with the army's funds. The legal procedure could reach about 4 thousand euros.

 ELTA reminds that this is not the first time V. Rupšys has received similar questions. Last year, while he was still in command of the army, the "15min" portal reported that V. Rupšys was renting an apartment from his son in Vilnius and for that he received 445 euros in so-called housing allowance. In the public sphere, it was discussed whether the general had confused public and private interests. V. Rupšys argued to journalists that he rents an apartment from his son, because he lives in Vilnius only on weekdays, in compliance with Lithuanian laws. The army's response to the portal later states that V. Rupšys has the right to rent from his son, as he does not own real estate in Vilnius and the surrounding areas. After the scandal that arose in the public space, the general decided to terminate the apartment lease, but stated that he did not feel that he had caused any moral damage. After evaluating the collected information about the rental of the residence of the then Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the Supreme Service Ethics Commission (VTEK) did not start an investigation that is due to the possible confusion of public and private interests."