Lithuanian prosecutor seeks €10,000 fine for former council member in fuel vouchers case
Monday 20th April 2026 on 16:30 in
Lithuania
A Lithuanian prosecutor has called for former long-serving Marijampolė municipal council member Vaida Giraitytė-Juškevičienė, previously acquitted in the so-called “fuel vouchers” case, to be found guilty and fined €10,000, with an additional four-year ban from public service, LRT reports.
During Monday’s hearing at the Lithuanian Court of Appeal in Vilnius, Kaunas Regional Prosecutor Darius Valkavičius argued that the original acquittal by Kaunas Regional Court contained errors in evidence assessment. “The essence of the appeal is to correct mistakes. The acquittal must be overturned, and a guilty verdict issued,” Valkavičius stated.
The case centres on allegations that Giraitytė-Juškevičienė misused municipal funds, including fuel purchased by her relatives and mobile phone bills for her parents covered by the municipality. Prosecutors claim these expenses, totalling over €2,000, were unjustifiably charged to public funds under the pretext of official duties.
Giraitytė-Juškevičienė, who served in the Seimas (Lithuanian parliament) during the previous term, maintains her innocence but previously agreed to compensate the municipality through a plea bargain—without admitting guilt. “You don’t admit guilt, yet you agreed to pay compensation. ‘Impose a lighter penalty, but I don’t admit guilt’—how does that work?” questioned Judge Linas Šiukšta, referencing the earlier settlement.
The prosecutor highlighted inconsistencies in her defence, noting that her father—a long-haul truck driver—had logged 257 accesses via “Smart ID” using a municipality-funded phone in 2019–2020, while her mother made 286 logins during the same period. “How is it that a truck driver couldn’t use smart technology?” Valkavičius asked, suggesting the phones were used for personal rather than official purposes.
Giraitytė-Juškevičienė argued the fuel was used for constituent meetings and that additional phone numbers were provided to residents to avoid overwhelming her primary line. Her defence team has requested the acquittal be upheld.
The Court of Appeal will deliver its ruling at a later date.