Police may issue international arrest warrant for Kandrotas next week

Lithuanian police may issue an international arrest warrant for Antanas Kandrotas, also known as Celofanas, next week if he is confirmed to be outside Lithuania, BNS reports.

An appeals court upheld a custodial sentence for Kandrotas in a financial crime case, reducing his prison term to two and a half years. The ruling took immediate effect, though it may still be appealed in cassation.

Ramūnas Matonis, a representative of the Police Department, told BNS that once the court confirms a custodial sentence, police must verify the convicted individual’s location. If Kandrotas is found to be abroad, an international search may be initiated.

“Officers will likely have to visit his place of residence to check if he is there, question relatives to confirm his absence from Lithuania. Theoretically, an international search could be announced next week,” Matonis said.

Kandrotas has stated in a Delfi publication that he does not intend to return to Lithuania. He claims to have been living in Belarus since May and has no plans to serve his sentence. He says he is staying in Minsk and plans to engage in business, having received numerous inquiries from businesspeople seeking trade routes with Belarus.

In early May, Kandrotas violated the conditions of a preventive measure—a written commitment not to leave the country—by traveling to Belarus. Police confirmed at the time that they were not actively monitoring his compliance, and courts had not yet ruled on the violation or the tightening of the preventive measure.

Kandrotas still faces ongoing criminal proceedings in Lithuania. If these result in additional convictions, his prison time could be extended further.

Last September, he was found guilty of inciting riots near the Seimas (parliament) and sentenced to four years in prison, though this ruling is not yet final. In February, he was also convicted of inciting hatred against former MP Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius over his sexual orientation and disrupting public order, receiving a one-year sentence, which is also not yet in effect.

Additionally, in April, Vilnius City District Court began hearing a new case in which Kandrotas is accused of assaulting public figure Valdas Bartkevičius in a public place.