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The central square of Vilnius, Lithuanian capital. RFI / Frédérique Lebel

In Lithuania, an important case of corruption in justice has been revealed by the prosecutor's office and the anti-corruption agency. Several magistrates and lawyers are suspected of having received large bribes in exchange for favorable decisions. A case that undermines the judicial system, while he knew under the leadership of the President a renewal.

With our correspondent in Vilnius, Marielle Vitureau

Twenty-six people arrested, including eight judges and five lawyers, all renowned. Hundreds of searches. The media in Lithuania all underline the unprecedented scale of the scandal. Tens of thousands of euros were crying in the pockets of magistrates and lawyers to obtain favorable judgments.

Some cases that have shaken public life in recent years, such as the house of a mayor built on a protected natural area, are among the cases handled by magistrates placed in pre-trial detention.

Lithuania ranks 38th in Transparency International's corruption perception index, slightly down on previous years.

All the judges arrested were veterans of the system and operated in the country's major cities. Since her first term in 2009, justice reform has been one of the priorities of the President. She has imposed herself in the choice of the presidents of court which it is her responsibility to appoint to ensure the renewal.

Trust in justice had then made a lot of progress. The Parliament is on vacation and it is the President who is responsible for authorizing the indictment of judges. What she obviously did well.