Lithuanian court upholds convictions of ex-police officer and lawyer in abuse of power case

A Lithuanian appeals court has upheld the convictions of a former Klaipėda police officer and a former lawyer for abuse of power in a high-profile murder investigation, though both had their fines reduced, LRT reports.

The Lithuanian Court of Appeal ruled on Tuesday that Edmundas Tautavičius, the former head of Klaipėda’s vehicle theft investigation unit, and Marius Navickas, a former lawyer, had abused their positions to help a murder suspect avoid accountability. However, the court found no evidence they sought personal financial gain.

Tautavičius, who had previously served sentences for other offences in 2014 and 2015, received a final combined penalty of two years and six months in prison, along with a fine exceeding €12,000. Navickas, the former lawyer, saw his fine reduced from €18,800 to €11,298.

The case stems from the 2008 murder of Inga Žitkevičienė, a 33-year-old nurse in Klaipėda. Virgilijus Valius, a suspect in the killing, allegedly used connections within law enforcement—including Tautavičius—to pressure Edmundas Montvydas (later Bedaugis) into falsely confessing to the crime in exchange for approximately €58,000. Montvydas was later convicted, while Valius was acquitted of murder but found guilty of concealing the crime and theft.

Court documents revealed that around €29,000 from Valius was transferred to Montvydas, with Tautavičius handling €60,000 intended as compensation for manipulated testimony. However, judges determined that the remaining funds in Tautavičius’ possession were not proven to be payment for his misconduct.

The original investigation found that Žitkevičienė was fatally beaten in her apartment after a conflict involving Valius and Montvydas, both of whom were present at the time.