VILNIUS — Lithuanian prosecutors on Wednesday detained several veteran judges and lawyers suspected of receiving bribes, as more than a hundred police investigators conducted raids at dozens of addresses.

“Today 26 individuals were detained, including eight judges and five well-known lawyers,” prosecutor general Evaldas Pasilis told reporters. He gave no details on the other 13 people held.

Prosecutors suspect the individuals — who include one Supreme Court justice — received bribes ranging from 1,000 euros ($1,130) to 100,000 euros in various criminal, civil and administrative cases.

“Huge harm was done to the state,” said Pasilis, the most senior prosecutor in this Baltic EU state.

“It wasn’t just the sum of the alleged bribes but also that trust in the justice system was undermined,” he added.

Zydrunas Bartkus, head of the anti-corruption agency STT, said that from the early morning its agents and police officers had carried out searches at more than 100 addresses.

It was, he said, “the biggest ever operation in the history of our service”.

The cases at issue included alleged decisions to free suspected criminals as well as the conduct of corruption trials.

The judges detained are all veterans, with two or three decades of experience. They worked in courts in the capital Vilnius as well as in the second biggest city Kaunas.

“If the allegations prove to be correct, the courts would serve as a case in point that larger salaries do not necessarily mean greater integrity and would face an uphill battle to win back public trust,” said Sergejus Muravjovas, chief of Transparency International Lithuania.

“This investigation is a wake-up call to all and a clear sign that chairs of courts and the entire community of judges must pay greater attention to potential corruption in the judiciary,” he said. — AFP