Court orders new evidence review in Marijampolė mayor’s “receipts” case, summons mayor for questioning

A Lithuanian appeals court ruled Tuesday to reopen the evidence review in the criminal case against Povilas Isoda, the acquitted mayor of Marijampolė, and will summon him along with two other witnesses for further questioning, LRT reports.

Judge Vitalija Norkūnaitė announced the decision to grant a prosecutor’s request to recall Isoda for testimony, noting he retains the right to refuse. Under Lithuanian law, defendants may decline to provide evidence against themselves.

The court will also re-examine Juozas Vaičiulis, the municipality’s former controller, who previously testified during the initial trial at Kaunas Regional Court. Prosecutor Darius Valkavičius argued that Vaičiulis must be questioned again to clarify whether municipal staff had the means to verify the authenticity of submitted expense documents.

Isoda’s defense attorney, Giedrius Danėlius, had requested a referral to the Constitutional Court to assess whether local governance laws—governing compensation for council members’ administrative, travel, and communication costs—comply with constitutional principles of equality and rule of law. The court rejected this motion, citing insufficient grounds, but approved a separate request to question Valdas Pileckas, a member of the municipality’s ethics commission.

The case centers on allegations that Isoda submitted 26 falsified expense summaries and 11 reimbursement reports to Marijampolė’s accounting department, fraudulently obtaining €2,479 in public funds. Prosecutors claim he included fictitious costs for phone, internet, and transport services tied to his council duties.

Investigators allege Isoda used others’ payment cards to refuel vehicles, with records showing multiple transactions—sometimes up to 15 times in a single minute—on the same day. Prosecutors also highlighted instances where diesel and petrol were purchased simultaneously using different cards.

Kaunas Regional Court had previously acquitted Isoda, accepting his explanation that the fuel receipts in his reports were included by mistake or oversight, and that fuel purchased with relatives’ cards may have been used for official business. The court ruled his actions were negligent rather than intentional.

Prosecutors, who have appealed the acquittal, seek a 15,000-euro fine and a four-year ban on public-sector employment for Isoda. The case now returns to the appeals court for further proceedings.