Source: BNS,
a
news
agency
covering
the
Baltic
states;
European
Pravda
Details:
“Yes,
a
pre-trial
investigation
is
being
conducted,
and
the
prosecutor
has
decided,
if
I’m
not
mistaken,
that
the
17
vehicles
that
were
to
be
shipped
to
Zimbabwe
should
be
confiscated
and
the
issue
of
their
possible
delivery
to
Ukraine
is
being
considered,”
said
Lithuania’s
Prosecutor
General
Nida
Grunskienė.
Last
week,
South
African
state-owned
news
website
The
Herald
urged
Lithuania
to
hand
over
17
vehicles
purchased
by
Zimbabwe
from
Belarus
last
year.
The
vehicles
were
detained
at
the
Klaipėda
seaport
in
March
last
year,
according
to
Zimbabwe’s
attorney
general.
“We
have
a
decision
by
the
prosecutor
in
which
we
are
informing
the
Zimbabwean
prosecutor’s
office
that
these
17
fire
engines
have
been
confiscated
because
the
company
that
manufactured
these
vehicles
is
subject
to
sanctions
and
Zimbabwe
itself
is
also
subject
to
sanctions,”
Grunskienė
noted.
She
said
the
African
state
had
also
been
informed
of
the
decision
through
diplomatic
channels.
“We
are
waiting
to
see
if
they
will
exercise
their
right
to
appeal,”
Grunskienė
added.
Notably,
Zimbabwe’s
attorney
general
visited
Lithuania
this
year
to
request
the
return
of
the
vehicles.
Background:
-
Lithuania’s
neighbour
Latvia
regularly donates cars
confiscated
from
drunk
drivers
to
Ukraine. -
Former
Latvian
Prime
Minister
Krišjānis
Kariņš
(now
serving
as
Latvia’s
Foreign
Minister)
said
in
an
interview
with
European
Pravda
that
100%
of
Latvian
society
supports
Ukraine, even
those
who
drive
under
the
influence of
alcohol.