Prosecutors seek to recover over €43,000 from Rokiškis and Šiauliai council members
Wednesday 1st July 2026 on 14:30 in
Lithuania
Lithuanian prosecutors are seeking to recover more than €43,000 from seven members of the Rokiškis district and Šiauliai city municipal councils, alleging they received unjustified payments, LRT reports.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the Public Interest Protection Section (VIGS) has filed civil claims in court to reclaim funds it says were improperly disbursed to the politicians from municipal budgets between 2019 and 2023.
In Šiauliai, prosecutors have filed a claim against council member Simona Potelienė, seeking over €3,000. An investigation found that most of her reimbursed expenses—covering fuel and other costs—were unrelated to her official duties, with some fuel purchases made before her term began or during quarantine periods. Additionally, some transactions were made using other individuals’ payment cards.
In Rokiškis, six council members—Audronė Elė Vilčinskienė, Dalia Lūžienė-Malijonienė, Vidmantas Maželis, Vidmantas Karpavičius, Dalia Maželienė, and Dijana Meškauskienė—face similar claims. Prosecutors allege:
Vilčinskienė received €4,347 in fuel reimbursements, enough to cover 650 km per month or 30 km per working day. Investigators noted she frequently purchased disproportionately large amounts of fuel, including up to 100 litres at a time—more than a standard car’s tank capacity.
Lūžienė-Malijonienė is accused of receiving over €8,200 in unjustified fuel reimbursements, despite already returning €2,391 following an audit. The claimed fuel amounts would have allowed her to drive 2,200 km monthly or 111 km daily. Payments were made using four different cards, with fuel purchased multiple times per day.
Maželis, who served only five months in 2019, is being asked to return €750. Investigators found his fuel claims—submitted via three payment cards, including one used by his wife, also a council member—were excessive for his short tenure.
Karpavičius faces a claim of €7,816, with prosecutors stating that €1,888 of his €7,927 in reimbursements were unjustified, including purchases made during quarantine.
Prosecutors have also filed claims against Maželienė and Meškauskienė, though the exact amounts were not specified in the report.