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Panevėžys Regional Court has, for the fourth time, extended the temporary restriction of property rights on the assets of Kristijonas Bartoševičius – specifically, the funds held in his bank account.

The former parliamentarian, accused of sexual offenses, is prohibited from owning, using, or disposing of these funds for another six months, counting from November 23. The ban will be in effect until May 24, 2025.

The temporary restriction of property rights on K. Bartoševičius's bank funds has been in place since February 2023. The initial ban on the accused using the funds held in the bank was imposed by the Prosecutor's Office during the pre-trial investigation. The court has extended this ban four times.

The purpose of the procedural coercive measure – the temporary restriction of a person's property rights – is to ensure that the assets are preserved, not hidden, and not destroyed. However, it must also be assessed whether the temporary restriction of an individual's rights will not disproportionately violate the rights and legitimate interests of the person to whom the procedural coercive measure is applied.

In this criminal case, the application of the temporary restriction of property rights is motivated by the fact that civil lawsuits for damages have been filed and accepted in the case, and the totality of the case's circumstances indicates that the recovery of damages could be hampered without the application of this procedural coercive measure. Therefore, in the court's opinion, the continued application of the restriction of property rights is necessary.

Also, in the opinion of the panel of judges, taking into account the size and nature of the claims in the lawsuits, the content of the temporary restriction of property rights, the procedural coercive measure applied to the accused is proportionate in its severity and duration to the aim of ensuring the possible execution of the civil lawsuits.

The ruling of Panevėžys Regional Court was not appealed within the established deadline, therefore it is currently in force.

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