Following the publication of 164 volumes in the case, the court will now start listening to wiretaps of key witness Nijolė Steponavičiūtė and defendant MP Vitalija Vonžutaitė.
At the start of the hearing, Uspaskich and his lawyers asked the court to adjourn the hearing and allow him to attend the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe with a Seimas delegation. Uspaskich and his lawyers tried to convince the court that legal immunity is in force during PACE sessions and an MP cannot be prosecuted now, and proposed adjourning the hearing until January 25.
"We have a legal act which says that what we'll do today, everything will be illegitimate," lawyer Vytautas Sviderskis said.
Prosecutor Saulius Verseckas objected to the proposal saying that the Seimas had given permission to prosecute Uspaskich.
The court rejected the motion.
Uspaskich, Gapšys, and Vonžutaitė are standing trial in Vilnius Regional Court for organizing fraudulent bookkeeping while holding executive positions in the party in 2004-2006. They are charged with fraud. In addition to the three MPs, charges were brought against the Labor Party itself and its former accountant Marina Liutkevičienė.
On 26 October, prosecutor Saulius Verseckas asked the court to re-qualify charges against Uspaskich, Gapšys, and Vonžutaitė as well as the party's former accountant Marina Liutkevičienė into fraud.
Prosecutors say the Labour Party's financial documentation for the 2004-2006 period failed to include about LTL 25 million (EUR 7.3 million) in income and about LTL 23 million in spending related with property, commitments, and structural changes, and also failed to pay taxes of around LTL 4 million.
Uspaskich strongly denies all charges and calls this case politically motivated.
The trial started on April 14, 2008, and has continued ever since with lengthy adjournments.
