The most famous case concerns former businessman and self-styled libertarian Arvydas Stasaitis, who was accused of embezzlement in 1994. Since then, Stasaitis has remained in prison pending trial. The practice of pretrial detention is widespread in Lithuania and is routinely ordered by courts. Courts often justify the need for such detention on the grounds that a defendant could potentially influence the investigation, prove dangerous, or flee. Other flaws in Lithuania s legal system compound the problem.
Prosecutors are free to carry out investigations with no time limit.
Trials can be indefinitely extended because witnesses frequently fail to appear, and penalties for not heeding a court order are minimal. On June 26, the Vilnius District Court announced that the trial of suspected war criminal Aleksandras Lileikis would begin on September 1. At the first procedural session of the Lileikis trial in February, the court accepted the request for a postponement to allow the defense to question several witnesses. Lileikis will be tried in absentia because of poor health. Both Lileikis and Surinin are being tried under the Law on Responsibility for the Genocide of the Population of Lithuania of 1992.