Birštono deputy mayor’s expense fraud case includes mayor’s son’s fuel receipt
Monday 8th June 2026 on 13:30 in
Lithuania
A fuel receipt for €20 paid by the son of Birštono Mayor Nijolė Dirginčienė was submitted as part of Deputy Mayor Vytautas Kederis’ disputed expense reports, a court heard Monday, as reported by LRT and the ELTA news agency.
Kederis, a Social Democrat, faces criminal charges for allegedly falsifying municipal council expense reports between 2019 and 2021. Prosecutors claim he submitted inflated or fabricated claims for fuel and internet costs linked to his council duties, defrauding the Birštono municipality of €1,239.
The mayor’s son, Tadas Dirginčius, testified in Alytus District Court that he had provided Kederis with fuel for a community cleanup event. “He asked me for fuel, told me to keep the receipt, and said he would repay me in cash,” Dirginčius stated, confirming the €20 was later reimbursed. He added that Kederis had requested the fuel for lawnmowers used in the maintenance of Birštono’s Vienkiemis Park.
Dirginčius, who has worked for Birštono’s municipal maintenance service since 2023, acknowledged a friendly relationship with Kederis but denied any improper coordination. “Everyone in Birštono knows each other,” he told the court.
The case is part of a broader investigation into expense fraud by local officials. Last year, Dirginčius was also questioned in a separate probe involving his mother’s use of fuel receipts, where he admitted occasionally driving her to official events in his personal vehicle.
Other witnesses, including residents of Birštono and Prienai, testified they had no connection to the council but found their own payment receipts included in Kederis’ submitted documents. One requested anonymity due to his wife’s position in Prienai’s municipal administration, but the court denied the request, citing no evidence of risk to his safety.
The Special Investigations Service (STT) previously determined that Kederis had allegedly used falsified receipts to claim reimbursements for personal expenses, including fuel purchases later proven to be unrelated to his official duties.