Corruption trial in Šiauliai hits unexpected obstacle as witness lawyer disqualified

A corruption trial involving Šiauliai Mayor Artūras Visockas and two co-defendants was abruptly halted Friday after the court ruled that a lawyer representing one witness could not also defend another in the same case, raising concerns over impartiality and procedural violations, LRT.lt reports.

The Šiauliai District Court hearing collapsed when it emerged that attorney Saulius Juzukonis—already representing Tomas Petreikis, head of the municipal lighting company Šiaulių šviesa—had been hired by a second employee of the same firm, Giedrius Popovas, to act as his counsel during questioning. Judge Gintarė Bunikienė barred Juzukonis from representing Popovas, who then refused to testify without legal representation.

Defence lawyers for the three accused—Visockas, businessman Danielius Krinickis, and consultant Ričardas Maliukevičius—argued the dual representation risked violating the principle that witnesses must not coordinate testimony. Augustinas Vaičiūnas, counsel for Visockas, highlighted potential “contamination” of evidence, noting that one witness (Petreikis) participated in the alleged corrupt scheme while the other (Popovas) allegedly carried out his instructions.

Prosecutor Jurgita Steponavičiūtė-Otto saw no conflict, but defence attorneys insisted the overlap created procedural unfairness. The case centres on allegations of abuse of office and attempted fraud in a 2022 LED streetlight procurement deal, which anti-corruption investigators halted before the city later purchased the lights at a lower price. All three defendants deny the charges.

The trial will resume once Popovas secures new legal representation. Visockas additionally faces a charge of witness tampering.