Prienai mayor convicted in expense fraud case and barred from office

Prienai Mayor Alvydas Vaicekauskas has been convicted of abuse of office, document forgery and fraud in a case involving municipal expense claims, LRT reported. The Alytus District Court fined him 7,500 euros and barred him from elected or appointed positions in state and municipal institutions for three years, meaning he is set to lose his post.

The ruling is not final and can be appealed to the Kaunas Regional Court within 20 days. Vaicekauskas told BNS he would review the decision before deciding whether to appeal, adding that he expected the case to go to a higher court.

The court’s case concerned claims that, while serving as a Prienai District Municipal Council member from 2019 to 2023, Vaicekauskas falsified 17 expense reports by listing fuel costs as related to his council duties. Investigators said he improperly obtained about 1,113 euros belonging to the municipal administration. The damage has since been repaid.

According to the case documents, some fuel purchases were paid for using bank cards belonging to other people, including a municipal employee, a former social affairs and labour minister and Vaicekauskas’s wife. Investigators also said he claimed 307 euros in fuel expenses while using an official car.

Vaicekauskas denied guilt in court. He is 69 and serving his fourth term as mayor of Prienai.

The case was among those brought to law enforcement’s attention after public figure Andrius Tapinas launched the “Skaidrinam” investigation into politicians’ use of municipal funds.