Prosecutors file lawsuit against former PM’s advisor over alleged illicit enrichment

Prosecutors have filed a civil lawsuit against Svetlana Tučkė, a former advisor to ex-Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas and a member of Palanga’s city council, alleging unjust enrichment, Delfi reports.

According to the prosecution, Tučkė is accused of improperly enriching herself by purchasing fuel outside Palanga and later submitting the bills to the city’s municipality for reimbursement. Prosecutors are seeking to recover over €6,600 from her.

An investigation found that between 2019 and 2023, Palanga’s municipality reimbursed Tučkė more than €12,000 in expenses, with the majority—over €8,900—spent on fuel. Additional costs included around €3,000 for car maintenance and repairs, and €30 for office supplies.

Prosecutors also determined that Tučkė purchased 543 litres of fuel outside the municipality during quarantine periods, later submitting the invoices for payment. In total, the municipality covered 6,200 litres of fuel for her during her term.

Tučkė, who currently leads the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party’s Palanga branch, told Delfi she had worked in Vilnius while serving on the council. She stated that travel to Palanga for meetings was part of her duties, and that municipal law required her employer to cover such expenses. She maintained that her fuel purchases were necessary to fulfil her official responsibilities.

Tučkė previously served as a social policy advisor to Paluckas and later as chancellor at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour under then-Minister Jūratė Zailskienė.