Two Tauragė district council members face fraud charges in expense reimbursement scandal

Two members of the Tauragė district municipal council have been formally accused of fraud, embezzlement, and document forgery in the ongoing “expense reimbursement” scandal, Lithuania’s Special Investigation Service (STT) announced on Tuesday.

Linas Janušonis and Raimondas Matemaitis, both council members, allegedly submitted false expense reports for fuel costs between 2019 and 2022. According to investigators, Janušonis caused €15,700 in financial damage to the municipality by inflating fuel reimbursements, while Matemaitis is accused of misreporting €875 in expenses during 2021–2022.

The charges follow a separate ruling in which Vilnius Regional Court fined former Trakai district council member Tadeušas Tučkovskis €7,000 and imposed a three-year ban on holding public office. Tučkovskis was found guilty of abusing his position by falsifying transport and mobile communication expenses between 2019 and 2023, causing €6,400 in losses to the municipality.

The STT is currently investigating 30 municipalities for potential misuse of public funds, with 17 current or former council members facing allegations in the ongoing probe.