Prosecutor drops charges in Šiauliai “checkbook” case, Sireika not celebrating yet

Šiauliai District Prosecutor’s Office has terminated its pre-trial investigation into the so-called “checkbook” affair involving Šiauliai city politicians, meaning no criminal liability will be pursued against any of them, LRT.lt reports.

Prosecutor Andrejus Mirnyj, who led the investigation, dropped all charges and closed the cases against city council members Antanas Sireika and Jonas Bartkus. Both had previously faced allegations of abuse of office, fraud, embezzlement, and falsification or misuse of documents. The prosecutor’s office concluded that neither Sireika nor Bartkus committed the crimes they were accused of.

Asked to comment on the decision, former basketball coach Sireika was cautious: “The prosecutor’s ruling has not yet taken legal effect, so I cannot comment on the decision that has been made.”

Several Šiauliai politicians have already repaid the amounts specified by the prosecutor overseeing public interest, so no civil cases were initiated against them. In total, the politicians have returned over €82,000 to the Šiauliai city municipality budget.

Sireika, elected to the city council with the public election committee “Dirbame miestui” (Working for the City) led by Mayor Artūras Visockas, repaid more than €9,600 to the Šiauliai city municipality administration last July–September. This was the amount claimed by the prosecutor’s office for unjustly received payments.

Izabelė Levickienė, senior specialist at the General Prosecutor’s Office Communication Department, confirmed that no civil case was opened against Sireika because he returned the unjustly received payments during the prosecutor’s investigation.

Jonas Bartkus, a senior conservative member of the Šiauliai city council, also repaid part of the received funds, thus avoiding a civil case. “There were no foreign checks, I could justify all of them. I returned what the prosecutor asked for without argument—almost €5,000,” Bartkus said.

The only politician from Šiauliai convicted in the “checkbook” criminal case remains Gintautas Lukošaitis, a member of the “Dirbame miestui” committee. Šiauliai District Court found him guilty of abuse of office, embezzlement, falsification of documents, and their misuse. He was fined €5,000 and barred for three years from holding elected or appointed positions in state, municipal, or non-governmental institutions. Lukošaitis has appealed the ruling, and the appeal is currently under review.

Lukošaitis lost his civil case as well—both the first-instance and appellate courts ordered him to repay over €11,000 to the Šiauliai city municipality budget. His cassation appeal was not accepted by the Supreme Court of Lithuania.

Danguolė Martinkienė, a former member of the Labour Party, and Aurimas Žvinys, elected to the council on the list of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union but not a party member, were acquitted of criminal liability under amnesty. However, both lost their political mandates, and Žvinys also lost his position as director of the Šiauliai Drama Theatre.