Prienai mayor accused of fuel expense fraud using municipal car

Prienai district mayor Alvydas Vaicekauskas allegedly submitted false expense claims for fuel purchases made during personal trips, using a municipal vehicle, prosecutors revealed in court on Monday, LRT reports.

Vaicekauskas, a Social Democrat, is charged with fraud, abuse of office, and document forgery after an investigation found he falsified 17 expense reports between 2019 and 2023. Prosecutors claim he misrepresented personal fuel purchases—some paid in cash or with others’ bank cards—as work-related expenses, defrauding the municipality of approximately €1,113.

Court documents show discrepancies in his travel logs. On one occasion, logs indicated Vaicekauskas was on an official trip to Kėdainiai, yet he purchased €88.46 worth of diesel in Kaunas district at 10:25 AM. “How could you refuel in Kaunas district while supposedly in Kėdainiai?” prosecutor Darius Valkavičius asked. Similar inconsistencies were found in other trips, including a claimed work visit to Kaunas where fuel was bought at 6:00 PM—hours before the logged return time.

Vaicekauskas defended the discrepancies, stating his work schedule often extended beyond logged hours, including evenings and weekends, to address constituent issues like land disputes and infrastructure problems. He admitted to frequently using municipal transport with a driver but claimed some trips were misrecorded.

The mayor, also a large-scale farmer, told the court he hires workers to manage his agricultural business, leaving him time for public duties. Judge Inga Liubinienė questioned how he balanced both roles.

Social Democratic Party member and Social Security Minister Jūratė Zailskienė previously testified that she and her husband had occasionally driven Vaicekauskas, though her relation to the case was not detailed further.

The trial continues as prosecutors seek to establish intent behind the expense discrepancies.