Prosecutors have started an investigation after expense reports of Vilnius Council members raised suspicions about possible abuse.
The Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office said on Tuesday that the investigation was launched after assessing the material published by journalist Andrius Tapinas, who alleges that some council members doctored their expense reports in order to claim excessive reimbursements.
While members of Lithuania’s local councils are not paid a salary, they get compensations for expenses linked to their duties, such as transportation, clerical costs, etc.
On Tuesday, Tapinas posted expense reports, showing that Larisa Dmitrijeva, who participated in the last municipal elections with the Labour Party, claimed reimbursements for petrol paid for with 15 different credit cards. Another council member, Edita Tamošiūnaitė of the Electoral Action of Poles, purportedly used eight different cards to pay for petrol.
Gediminas Jaunius, a former council member elected in the previous elections with the public committee of former mayor Remigijus Šimašius, rented a car for more than 13,000 euros from a company owned by himself.
Artūras Zuokas, the former mayor of the capital who is in the opposition of the Vilnius City Council, allegedly used five different cards to pay for fuel.
“He filled up with petrol and diesel in a very interesting way, and on December 31 he ran to Senukai [a shop] to buy a hard disk to be able to claim the maximum amount allowed,” Tapinas posted on Facebook.
Tapinas has previously analysed expense reports of other local council members. One of the highest-profile cases concerns Education Minster Jurgita Šiugždinienė who was previously a member of Kaunas City Council.
Further reading
Law enforcement authorities have already opened investigations into possible abuses by council members of Pagėgiai, Šilutė, Neringa, Mažeikiai, Kaunas City, Kaunas District, and Šiauliai City.
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