Prosecutors seek more than EUR 11,400 from Lazdijai council member

Prosecutors are seeking to recover more than EUR 11,400 from Arturas Margelis, a former mayor and current council member of Lazdijai District Municipality, in a civil case concerning expense claims, LRT reported.

The prosecutor from the Public Interest Defence Division of the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office filed a civil claim with the Alytus Chamber of the Alytus District Court over the politician’s alleged unjust enrichment, the General Prosecutor’s Office said.

According to the investigation, Margelis submitted claims during the 2019 to 2023 council term for EUR 12,283 in allegedly incurred fuel expenses. He provided 278 payment receipts, covering the purchase of 9,177 litres of fuel reimbursed from the municipal budget.

The investigation found that Margelis paid for fuel 37 times using 11 different payment cards and 241 times in cash. Five purchases were made outside Lazdijai District Municipality. He also submitted receipts for fuel bought during quarantine periods.

During the quarantine period, he allegedly incurred more than EUR 2,000 in expenses for 1,891 litres of fuel.

Prosecutors said they assess whether payments to council members were made lawfully in investigations into the use of municipal funds. When violations are found, they file civil claims seeking the return of specific sums to municipal budgets.

As of August 27, 2026, prosecutors from the General Prosecutor’s Office and the regional prosecutor’s offices in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panevezys and Siauliai had filed 230 civil claims with a combined value of more than EUR 2.387 million. Council members had voluntarily returned more than EUR 2.243 million to municipal budgets, according to the latest figures.