Three Telšiai district council members violated conflict of interest law

Three members of the Telšiai District Municipal Council violated the Law on the Coordination of Public and Private Interests by failing to recuse themselves from discussions directly related to an audit of their own expenses, the Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) has ruled.

The commission reviewed the actions of council members Algirdas Bacevičius, Mantas Serva, and Rimantas Adomaitis during meetings of the municipality’s Anti-Corruption Commission. The meetings addressed a 2019–2023 audit report prepared by the municipality’s Control and Audit Service, which examined the use of allowances by council members.

VTEK determined that the audit report was directly linked to the private interests of the three politicians, as it assessed their personal expenditures. The municipality had previously informed the council members of irregularities related to their expenses and proposed the return of misused funds. The audit findings were later used in prosecutorial investigations and civil cases.

Despite the clear conflict of interest, all three council members participated in discussions and decision-making. On 25 June 2025, they took part in a meeting to decide whether to launch an investigation into the audit report’s validity. On 26 August 2025, they voted on a proposal to establish a commission to evaluate the actions of the Control and Audit Service.

VTEK noted that Bacevičius, as chair of the Anti-Corruption Commission, not only participated in discussions about his own written request concerning the audit but also voted to initiate the investigation, signed the meeting minutes, and issued an order to a commission member to conduct the probe.

“By failing to recuse themselves from the preparation, discussion, and decision-making on matters directly related to their private interests, A. Bacevičius, M. Serva, and R. Adomaitis acted in a situation of conflict of interest,” VTEK stated. The commission concluded that the politicians had violated legal provisions requiring them to avoid conflicts of interest, recuse themselves, and perform their duties impartially.