Did Paulius Motiejunas abuse his influence? According to a survey of Gazzetta.grthe PDG de l’EuroLeague would have played a role in the takeover of the London Lions by Zalgiris Kaunas. The Greek media also questions the integrity of the leader, who left his position as president of Zalgiris to be able to claim the post of CEO of the Euroleague.
To obtain this position, Motiejunas would have transferred his shares in Zalgiris to the current president of the club, Paulius Jankunas. To facilitate the transaction, he created a new company called UAB Zalgiris Club. Ownership of the team would have transferred to this new company under Jankunas' leadership, while Motiejunas would have retained 55% of UAB Zalgiris Group – which now only owns the Zalgirio Arena. The latter could also recover its shares thanks to an agreement in principle with Jankunas. But Euroleague shareholders were unaware that the CEO could regain ownership of Zalgiris.
Furthermore, while he was already CEO of the Euroleague, the Lithuanian allegedly used his company UAB Zalgiris Group and his influence to take control of the London Lions and transfer it to his business partners in the Zalgiris-Tesonet Group (UAB Zalgiris Club ). According to the investigation, this acquisition was carried out without informing the other Euroleague shareholders. A document dated July 17 shows that UAB Zalgiris Group, owned by Motiejunas, received the English team's assets in exchange for a loan. Zalgiris Group would have taken control of the London Lions from this date. An operation then allowed technology company Tesonet, Motiejunas' partner in UAB Zalgiris Group, to take full control of the London Lions, removing control from its previous owners (777 Partners).
In a written document sent to BasketNewsPaulius Motiejunas répond ceci :
“Following the article published by Gazzetta last Sunday, distorting the facts and insinuating a conflict of interest without any proof, I am obliged to clarify the numerous inaccuracies and baseless allegations presented in the article and reproduced by other media .
1. In accepting the role of CEO of Euroleague Basketbal (ECA)l, I have completely divested my shares in Zalgiris Kaunas and resigned from all positions within the organization.
2. The shares of Zalgiris Kaunas that I owned were legally transferred to the new president, Paulius Jankunas, in a deal that complied with all legal and ethical standards. All Euroleague shareholder clubs have been informed of this transition and no concerns have been raised.
3. I was not involved in the transfer of ownership of the London Lions basketball club. Tesonet's acquisition of the London Lions was an independent commercial transaction. The Zalgiris Group, in which Tesonet also holds shares, was used to provide a short-term loan only to simplify the transaction, in line with industry standards and legal practices.
4. The Zalgiris group is not a shareholder of the London Lions; the club is entirely owned by Tesonet. All Euroleague shareholder clubs were duly informed of this development during the summer. The claim that I used my position to facilitate this acquisition is baseless.
5. The article relies on anonymous sources and speculation, presented as fact without any verifiable evidence. Such journalistic practices are irresponsible and do not meet standards of accuracy and fairness.
I believe it is essential that media outlets uphold the highest standards of journalism by fact-checking before publication. Normally, I wouldn't worry about baseless allegations. However, this time they mislead the public, undermine the integrity of the Euroleague and therefore need to be addressed. I remain committed to transparency and ethical conduct in all my professional activities and expect the same level of accountability from reputable media outlets. »
