Malinauskas appeals conviction in Vijūnėlė corruption case

Former Druskininkai mayor Ričardas Malinauskas has asked Lithuania’s Supreme Court to return his corruption case to an appeals court for a new hearing, LRT reports.

The court has received a cassation appeal from Malinauskas’s lawyer. It asks the Supreme Court to overturn the part of the appellate ruling that rejected Malinauskas’s appeal. The Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case.

In September, the Lithuanian Court of Appeal upheld Malinauskas’s conviction in the Vijūnėlė mansion corruption case. He was found guilty of trading in influence and fined 60,000 euros. A further 30,000 euros is to be recovered from him.

Malinauskas, who denies guilt, had said he would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. After the judgment took effect, he could no longer serve as Druskininkai’s mayor. The Central Electoral Commission ended his mandate, and the Druskininkai municipal council assigned deputy mayor Violeta Grigorienė to serve as interim mayor.

The case also involved Malinauskas’s former adviser and current municipal council member Aivaras Kadziauskas, as well as judges from various courts who had ruled on matters related to the Vijūnėlė mansion. The building, which was declared illegal, was demolished in autumn 2019.

Malinauskas has said the mansion was built for him, although it was officially owned by a business associate. He had planned to buy the completed building from him.