Lithuanian Culture Minister Lukas Alsys condemned the harassment of journalists and editors on Thursday after being asked about growing pressure on 15min staff following the news outlet’s joint investigation with OCCRP into the crypto-finance firm Bankera.
“Any persecution of journalists or editors aimed at intimidating or frightening them is completely intolerable,” Alsys told Žinių Radijas, adding that relevant authorities should “draw conclusions.”
The joint investigation revealed that more than 45 million euros raised during Bankera’s 2017–2018 token sale was transferred to Pacific Private Bank in Vanuatu, an offshore entity acquired by Bankera’s three co-founders. Records showed the bank subsequently issued millions of euros in loans to the founders and their companies, including funds used to purchase luxury real estate.
Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service opened a pre-trial investigation shortly after the story was published in April 2025. Vanuatu’s central bank later revoked Pacific Private Bank’s international license, though the decision was stayed pending appeal.
What followed was a systematic campaign of pressure targeting journalists and executives at 15min.
According to the newsroom, unknown actors collected personal data on staff members and their families, trailed journalists at public events, and launched a targeted smear campaign across social media, a newly created website, and outdoor billboards.
15min also reported a barrage of regulatory complaints. Lithuania’s Public Information Ethics Commission received four formal complaints against 15min in just two months—all filed by individuals linked to Bankera—compared to its usual average of about one complaint per year, national broadcaster LRT reported.
A coalition of press freedom groups—including the Internet Media Association, the Journalists’ Professional Association, the Lithuanian Journalists’ Union, and the National Press Association—issued a joint statement calling the tactics a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) campaign designed to exhaust and intimidate critical media. The groups urged state institutions to step in.
Bankera acknowledged filing regulatory complaints but denied orchestrating a harassment campaign. Co-founder Vytautas Karalevičius told LRT that the legal filings were a response to 15min’s alleged failure to present the company’s position fairly. Bankera lawyer Gintaras Černiauskas added that his clients had no knowledge of any surveillance or data gathering against journalists, stating that law enforcement should investigate those claims if true.
In September, Lithuanian authorities formally named Bankera co-founders Mantas Mockevičius, Vytautas Karalevičius, and Justas Dobiliauskas as suspects in an investigation into the alleged unlawful dissipation of at least $49 million in investor funds. None of the three men have been convicted of a crime.
15min Editor-in-Chief Vaidotas Beniušis insisted that the pressure would not silence the newsroom, while the Journalists’ Professional Association called on law enforcement to help protect the reporters involved.
Source: OCCRP · 2026-10-09