Lithuanian court upholds Kandrotas’ imprisonment but he refuses to return

A Lithuanian appeals court has upheld a guilty verdict against Antanas Kandrotas, also known as Celofanas, reducing his prison sentence slightly, but the convicted man says he has no intention of returning to Lithuania to serve it.

The court left in force a three-year-and-six-month prison term for Kandrotas in a case involving tax evasion through illegal fuel trading. A panel of three judges acquitted him on some charges, while also adjusting sentences for other men convicted alongside him. The ruling is now in effect, though it can still be appealed to the Lithuanian Supreme Court.

Kandrotas, who is currently in Belarus, did not attend the verdict announcement. Pro-Russian activist Laurynas Ragelskis, who was present, initially caused a disturbance by attempting to film the proceedings, which the judge prohibited. Security and police were called to the courtroom before Ragelskis complied and was allowed to stay.

The original verdict in this case was issued by the Kaunas Regional Court in 2023. Kandrotas was initially sentenced to four years in prison. In January 2024, police detained him after the appeals court upheld prison sentences in two separate financial crime cases. He was released in June 2025 under a conditional early release after serving more than three-quarters of his sentence.

In an interview with the Delfi news portal, Kandrotas confirmed he has been living in Belarus since May and does not plan to return to Lithuania. “I have already served my time,” he said. “I can now officially confirm: I do not plan to return to Lithuania. It was clear from the beginning that both sides were playing a game of cat and mouse.”

The appeals court also adjusted civil claims in the case, ordering the three convicted men to jointly compensate over €101,000 in added value and excise taxes. The court maintained a fine of nearly €17,000 for Audrius Rutė, reduced a fine for Andrius Šarkauskas to €20,700, and shortened Romas Jablonskas’ conditional sentence by two months to two years.