Lithuanian court to review Nemuno Aušra party’s car rental appeals with five-judge panel

The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania (LVAT) will examine three linked appeals from the political party Nemuno Aušra over a ruling that it committed a serious financial violation by renting cars from two of its own members, LRT reports.

The party, its leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis, and member Daiva Petkevičienė have challenged the Central Electoral Commission’s (VRK) decision, which found that Nemuno Aušra misused €49,500 in state funds by leasing vehicles without proper documentation. The VRK also ruled that the party submitted false information and classified the breaches as severe, stripping it of a €241,800 state subsidy for the first half of the year. Žemaitaitis and Petkevičienė were further ordered to repay €26,776 and €15,349, respectively.

The LVAT has consolidated the three appeals into a single case, citing efficiency and the complexity of the legal and factual issues involved. A five-judge panel—chaired by Skirgailė Žalimienė and including Iveta Pelienė, Dainius Raižys, Rasa Ragulskytė-Markovienė, and Ernestas Spruogis—will hear the case. Such expanded panels are convened for particularly intricate disputes.

All appellants seek to overturn the VRK’s ruling, which hinges on interpretations of the Financial Accounting Law and the Law on Political Organisations. The court noted that the case could set precedents for future administrative jurisprudence.