Lithuania’s Constitutional Court rejects petition over municipal council allowances

The Constitutional Court of Lithuania has declined to review a petition from ruling coalition members regarding allowances for municipal council representatives, stating that the contested legal provisions have already been amended, LRT reports.

The court ruled on Tuesday that the Local Self-Government Law sections in question—though not formally declared invalid—can no longer be applied, as they have been replaced by new regulations. “The petitioners challenged provisions that, while not officially annulled, are no longer enforceable due to amendments,” the court stated, adding that examining outdated legal norms would serve no purpose.

The request was submitted by a group of governing coalition faction members who argued that the rules for compensating council members’ work-related expenses were set by municipal bylaws rather than by law. They highlighted that the legislation lacked clear procedures for reimbursing such costs.

The petition emerged amid ongoing investigations into the so-called “receipts scandal,” in which several 2019–2023 term council members face allegations of abuse of office, document forgery, and submitting false expense claims, causing financial harm to their municipalities. Many of those implicated are members of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party.