Businessman Vilhelmas Germanas drops appeal against fine for insulting prison officer

Businessman Vilhelmas Germanas will not challenge a €90 fine imposed for insulting a prison officer, after Lithuania’s Vilnius District Court rejected his initial appeal, LRT reports.

The fine was upheld by Vilnius City District Court on April 24, with Germanas given 30 days to lodge a further appeal to Vilnius Regional Court. He did not do so, and the ruling took legal effect on May 19, a court spokesperson confirmed.

The dispute stems from a January 2026 incident at Kaunas Prison, where Germanas—then in pretrial detention—allegedly called an officer “invalid” (disabled) during a confrontation. The Lithuanian Prison Service ruled this constituted an insult, prompting the fine.

In his defence, Germanas argued the term was not directed at the officer but described the situation after his wristwatch was confiscated, which he claimed violated prison rules. He also alleged persistent provocation by staff, stating: “I had a personal officer whose job was to provoke me daily and then file reports.”

The officer countered that Germanas had also called him a “piece of shit” and insisted watches were prohibited in visitation areas.

Germanas was released from Kaunas Prison on February 16 after 16 months in detention, following a court decision to replace his custody with house arrest and a €1 million bail. Prosecutors had sought to extend his detention in a fraud and document forgery case involving €24 million in alleged illicit gains from cryptocurrency mining equipment. Germanas denies wrongdoing.

The case is part of a broader pre-trial investigation linked to the now-defunct payment firm Foxpay, previously suspected of laundering at least €17 million.