«Hot commentary» continues to investigate a big fraud, which smells in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, – the issuance of Lithuanian visas was «privatized». Simplistically, people wishing to obtain Lithuanian visas will have to pay significant «tips» (20-26 euro for one visa obtaining) to intermediaries of our Embassies and Consulates – Indian company.
However, the documents, which were got by «Hot commentary», show that Indians – just a cover. They are simply «ceremonial bystanders», signing contracts with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs for providing visa centre services, and posing for photographs – but in fact there are other persons behind so-called « ceremonial bystanders» . This business has intricate schemes, which lead to off shore zones: Cyprus, Mauritius. And theirs surnames – Russian, and they are known from old komsomol times.
«Ceremonial bystander» after «wedding» disappears
On the 17th of December last year contracts were concluded in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania with registered in India VFS Global for Lithuanian visa centres establishment in Armenia, Azerbaijan , Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, China and Turkey. On the official web-site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania the winner of the tender is represented as « external services provider- leader », that provided services in «all Schengen states».
However, the «leader», as it seems, operates under an intricate scheme – only wins tenders. Thereafter visa services are provided for Embassies and Consulates not by a «leader» – VFS Global, but by a subcontractor, in particular country, for example, in Belarus – «RNT- MANAGEMENT» LLC
VFS Global, as published on web-site, provides the citizens of Belarus, wishing to get Lithuanian visas, with logistics services and is responsible only for documents acceptance, filling in an applicants forms and transferring the documents to the Embassy or the Consulate of Lithuania and after that it is responsible for documents receipt from the Embassy or the Consulate and transferring to applicants.
Although, «RNT- MANAGEMENT» LLC, as stipulated in disclaimer, takes all possible measures for document security, but the company does not bear responsibility for documents missing as a result of accident, theft, natural events as well as «other reasons, that « cannot be predicted or controlled by «RNT- MANAGEMENT» LLC .
As the result, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania entrusted «visa centres leader» to provide visa cervices. But the «leader» is not going to operate in Belarus directly–instead of the «leader» «RNT- MANAGEMENT» LLC provides issuance of Lithuanian visas. But «RNT- MANAGEMENT» LLC does not bear responsibility in cases such as loss of the documents, submitted by individual applicants (or tourist groups). Moreover, this intermediary of the intermediary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania will have data base of people, submitted documents for visa, including theirs fingerprints.
Premises trickery
«Hot commentary» has already written that in order to win the tender, announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, «world leader» indicated a building as one of the future centres for Lithuanian visas provision with the following address: Minsk, Maksima Tanka street, 4.
However, premises submitted for participation were in destroyed condition during the tender process, as shown on the photos, which «Hot commentary» has. And even after contract was signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with VFS Global these premises were not renovated. There is a plate «For rent» and premises, as shown photos, need huge investments for renovation. There is a municipal 9-storey block of flats without administrative – purpose premises on indicated address in Brest Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii Street, 5. On the 19th of January on the plate of the visa centre «Denmark-Spain», that locates on Zheleznodorozhnaya Street, 33, appeared one more word – «Lithuania». Does it mean that in operating visa centre a place is made in order to indicate one more sign on a plate – «Lithuania»?
This raises the question: What is going on here? Who was entrusted with business on Lithuanian visa service provision?
Let us go back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – how the preparation was organized. There will be even more questions on this issue.
The winner is the one that was needed?
The second of last September the tender Commission gathered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for consideration of the provision of external visa application services. At the meeting the tender Commission discussed the establishment of the visa application centres in alphabetical order: Azerbaijan, Armenia, etc.
According to information sources, the Chairman of the Commission (the Chancellor of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), seeing that VFS Global has lost the competition to other participants, stopped the tendering process without inserting the next meeting date.
On the third of September to the end of the day, it was reported that a meeting regarding the tender will be held on the fourth of September at 14 hours.
However, only 5 of the 9 members of the Commission came on meeting. Unless a quorum was present -the meeting didn’t being held. The next meeting date was set for 5 September, 10 hours. The fifth of September, the results of the competition from the second of September, the contest of which concerning the establishment of the visa application centres in Azerbaijan and Armenia, were cancelled. VFS Global was named the sole winner for all countries.
According to information sources of „Hot commentary”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius received the documents proving that VFS Global delegates powers or sells contracts to Russian companies.
„The Minister promised to transmit information to special services of Lithuania” – the information sources say.
However, as we see, the facts speak for themselves: although the results of the competition were appealed in court by one of the participants, VFS Global already doing visa business under the auspices of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Connecting link – Komsomol?
As you know, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius – former head of the Central Committee’s Department of All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol).
Meanwhile, representatives of the VFS Global in Russia, according to the foreign press, – are companies managed by Russian citizens and registered in offshore zones (in Cyprus and in other places). These companies relate to brothers Ignatievy, one of which – the elder, in the past was also known Komsomol member.
Foreign press presents the following information about the visa business’ managing director Andrei Ignatiev: born in Moscow, in 1988 he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute. He was designated as avia-designer of Lavochkin Scientific-production Association for space and military applications. However, soon began to work in the Bureau of international youth tourism „Sputnik”. This Bureau, which has been organizing trips abroad of groups loyal to political system, was established in 1958 by the Komsomol Central Committee of USSR. These groups were accompanied abroad by the KGB trusted persons. Most often it was employees of the Bureau, who wrote reports to the KGB on their return.
Note that A. Ignatiev began to work in such important Komsomol Bureau in 1988. As a former analyst of the Central Committee of Soviet Union Communist Party had said to „Hot commentary”, in that period in the higher groups of the CC CPSU was already known about the upcoming „collapse of the USSR”, therefore “fallback plans” were developed.
In accordance with one of them, on the authority of information source from the former KGB, using of KGB and party money, as well as Komsomol tourism – should have been one of the priorities in case of the USSR collapse.
„It was expected to invest in the tourism sector, in the acquisition of hotels,” – said the information sources, who worked in the KGB until the putsch of 1991.
As you know, one of the first hotels („Carolina”) in independent Lithuania was also established by influential official functionary, who managed the Department, wich „gave an eye” to Sajudis, – P.Wozbutas.
Thus, the theory, that under the cover of the visa application centres in the Schengen zone could be created spy network, cannot be completely ruled out.
In addition, several years ago, one Deputy of the State Duma tried to explain, what is hidden under the visa business of offshore companies, however, he received from the security service of Russia the following response: it’s none of Deputy’s business.
„None of your business”
Probably, we can interpret in such manner the results of the tender of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the establishment of visa application centres: official winner is VFS Global Company registered in India. However, it’s none of your business to whom (to which offshore companies and under whose leadership) and how it delegates its powers or sells visa business after signing the contract.
As far as I can make out, it doesn’t apply to the State Security Department, for the reason that this Department didn’t say „stop” to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, despite the fact that it had full information.
To be continued
