Court finds former Alytus mayor guilty of asset misappropriation and abuse of office

A Lithuanian court on Wednesday convicted Algirdas Vrubliauskas, the former mayor of Alytus district municipality, of misappropriating public assets and abuse of office, sentencing him to a fine and a four-year ban on holding public positions, LRT reports.

The Kaunas Regional Court ruled that Vrubliauskas had committed offences under Articles 183(1) and 228(2) of the Criminal Code, ordering him to pay a €7,500 fine. He was also barred from being elected or appointed to municipal, state, or non-governmental organisation roles for four years.

Judge Danutė Giačaitė stated that the court had found “all subjective and objective elements of the criminal acts” proven by the evidence presented. The prosecution, represented by Darius Valkavičius, had sought the same penalties.

Three co-defendants—former administration director Gintarė Jociūnskaitė, employee Andrius Kuzmauskas, and former employee Nijolė Radžiūnienė—were also found guilty of all charges. The court determined they had jointly misappropriated municipal property: three mobile phones and a tablet computer.

However, the court rejected the prosecution’s claim that Jociūnskaitė had acted as an organiser of the crimes. “It is clear she did not perform any special organising actions as an accomplice. She directly participated in both falsifying and submitting documents, so in the court’s view, she is an executor,” Giačaitė explained.

The verdict may be appealed within 20 days.