Prosecutor demands acquittal of Marijampolė mayor in “receipts” case be overturned

A Kaunas regional prosecutor has called for the acquittal of Marijampolė Mayor Povilas Isoda in the so-called “receipts” corruption case to be overturned, arguing the lower court made errors in assessing evidence, LRT reports.

Prosecutor Darius Valkavičius told the Court of Appeal on Monday that the mayor must be found guilty on all three charges—abuse of office, fraud, and document forgery—and proposed a €10,000 fine alongside a four-year ban from public service.

“The acquittal must be annulled,” Valkavičius stated, insisting the original ruling contained flaws in its evaluation of the case. The prosecution maintains Isoda submitted 26 falsified council member expense summaries and 11 fraudulent expense reports to the municipality’s accounting department, unlawfully obtaining €2,479 in public funds.

Investigators allege Isoda included fictitious costs for phone, internet, and transport in his reports, falsely linking them to his official duties. The prosecutor highlighted suspicious fuel card transactions, including instances where the same card was refueled 15 times in a single day—sometimes within the same minute—and three refuels in quick succession with minimal time gaps.

“The circumstances of this case show funds were not used responsibly, public interest was violated, and this criminal act holds social significance,” Valkavičius argued.

The Kaunas Regional Court had acquitted Isoda in August 2025, accepting his claim that others’ fuel receipts appeared in his reports by accident or oversight, and that fuel purchased with relatives’ cards may have been used for council work. The court ruled his actions were merely careless, with no evidence of intentional wrongdoing.

The case stems from a broader investigation into municipal politicians’ misuse of office funds, triggered by activist Andrius Tapinas’ “Skaidrinam” transparency initiative, which exposed potential abuses in multiple municipalities.