Court to hear closing arguments in Benediktas Vanagas fraud case

Closing arguments are expected to begin on Tuesday in the credit fraud case involving racing driver Benediktas Vanagas, the public institution National Automobile Club, which he heads, and Goda Mankutė, LRT reports. The prosecutor is expected to propose sentences at the Vilnius City District Court.

Prosecutors accuse Vanagas and Mankutė, the director of Gerdista, of fraudulently obtaining 154,000 euros in European Union support.

According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the EU-funded project was intended to provide mobile car repair and maintenance services in rural areas. However, the funds were allegedly used for private purposes, including participation in the Dakar Rally.

Vanagas’s public institution allegedly obtained the EU support through Gerdista.

The 154,000 euros came from an EU fund under Lithuania’s 2014–2020 Rural Development Programme. The funds were returned during the pre-trial investigation conducted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office together with the Financial Crime Investigation Service.