Court convicts Ukmergė councillor in expense-report case

A court has found Ukmergė District Municipal Council member Algirdas Kopūstas guilty of abuse of office, fraud and document forgery or possession of forged documents in a case involving false expense claims, LRT reported.

He was fined 7,000 euros and barred for three years from being elected or appointed to posts in state or municipal institutions, companies and non-governmental organisations. Law enforcement authorities announced the sentence on Wednesday. The ruling, issued on September 29, can be appealed.

According to the case file, during the previous council term Kopūstas falsified 24 expense reports, entering inaccurate information about fuel costs he claimed to have incurred for council duties.

The court found that he obtained 3,600 euros for himself, causing the Ukmergė District Municipal Administration financial losses of the same amount and significant non-financial damage to the council’s reputation.