Former Lithuanian army chief appeals dental implant conviction, seeks acquittal

Former Lithuanian army commander Valdemaras Rupšys has appealed his conviction for abuse of office, document forgery, and fraud, seeking full acquittal, LRT reports.

Rupšys was found guilty in May of using military funds to cover the cost of two dental implants worth nearly €4,000. A Vilnius court also ruled that his tooth loss was due to a pre-existing condition, not a service-related injury, and thus not eligible for state-funded treatment.

His lawyer, Arūnas Petrauskas, told ELTA that the appeal, filed on Monday, argues the court failed to properly assess the cause of the dental issue and the intent behind the actions. “The tooth cracked, but no one investigated the cause. The person suffered trauma, and the court even acknowledges that trauma occurred. The knowledge, guilt, and causal link should have been evaluated,” Petrauskas said.

Former military medical service dentist Šarūnas Ratkus, who treated Rupšys and was also convicted of abuse of office, document forgery, and aiding fraud, has likewise filed an appeal. His lawyer, S. Slapšinskas, argued that the court made medical conclusions without expert knowledge and ignored a defense-submitted forensic medical consultation.

In its May 21 ruling, the Vilnius Regional Court fined Rupšys €20,000 and barred him from public service for five years. Ratkus received a €15,000 fine and the same employment ban. Judge U. Gailiūnienė stated that while the financial damage was limited, the actions caused significant non-material harm to the state and military, as both defendants held high-ranking positions and deliberately misused public funds for personal gain.

The case stems from a 2022 incident in which Rupšys reported a dental injury sustained during a deployment in Germany. The court found that both defendants falsified documents to secure state funding for the implants, submitting false information to state officials and institutions.

The appeals will be reviewed by the Lithuanian Court of Appeals. A separate civil claim filed by the Ministry of National Defence was dismissed on procedural grounds but may be pursued through civil courts.