Lithuanian court rejects Daiva Žebelienė’s appeal in “chekiukai” fuel compensation case

A Lithuanian appeals court has dismissed a claim by Seimas Vice-Speaker Daiva Žebelienė seeking to overturn a ruling that she had unjustly enriched herself at the expense of Šilutė District Municipality in the so-called “chekiukai” fuel compensation scandal, LRT reports.

The Kaunas Regional Court, acting as an appellate instance, upheld a 2025 lower court decision ordering Žebelienė to repay €6,945 to the municipality for fuel expenses deemed unjustified during her tenure as a council member from 2019 to 2021. The ruling was confirmed by court spokesperson Vija Kudzienė.

Žebelienė had appealed the Tauragė District Court’s September 2, 2025, judgment, requesting it be annulled and replaced with a dismissal of the prosecutor’s claim. The public interest prosecutor had originally sought €7,756 in restitution, arguing the full sum had been improperly compensated. The lower court partially granted the claim, finding that only a portion of the funds had been used lawfully.

The case, transferred to court in summer 2024, had stalled after Žebelienė initially pursued a settlement with the Prosecutor General’s Office. She currently serves as Vice-Speaker of the Seimas, elected on the ticket of the ruling coalition’s “Nemuno aušra” party.

The “chekiukai” (lit. “little checks”) scandal refers to a widespread practice of local politicians in Lithuania submitting fuel expense claims for personal vehicle use without adequate justification, later found to constitute unjust enrichment at public expense.