Lithuanian court clears four municipal politicians of criminal liability

A Lithuanian court has acquitted four municipal politicians—including Tauragė District Mayor Dovydas Kaminskas—of criminal charges related to abuse of office, embezzlement, and document forgery, state broadcaster LRT reports.

Klaipėda Regional Court ruled to dismiss criminal proceedings against Kaminskas and Tauragė District Council member Virginija Eičienė, as well as Neringa City Council member Arvydas Mockus and Šilutė District Council member Vygantas Stoškus. The decision upholds an earlier ruling by the Klaipėda Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

Though cleared of criminal liability, the court imposed a one-year probation period on each politician and ordered them to pay between €500 and €4,000 to Lithuania’s Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund.

Investigators found that Kaminskas, while serving as a Tauragė District Council member in 2019–2020, submitted false expense reports for fuel costs, unlawfully pocketing €783 in public funds. Eičienė, also a council member during 2019–2022, filed similarly fraudulent claims for €479 in fuel reimbursements.

Mockus, a Neringa council member in 2021–2022, was accused of falsifying reports for phone repairs and fuel, causing €1,606 in damages to the municipality. Stoškus, a Šilutė District Council member from 2019–2023, submitted inflated invoices for office supplies, car parts, repairs, and fuel unrelated to his official duties, defrauding the council of €6,210.

The court’s rulings are final and not subject to appeal.