As investigations continue into the possible misuse of allowances by Lithuania's local government politicians, some of them have rushed to return the money voluntarily. However, it does not mean they will escape prosecution.
As investigations in the so-called “receipts scandal” – revelations of widespread abuses of the expense reimbursement system by municipal politicians – continue, 65 lawsuits have already reached the courts demanding the return of almost 800,000 euros to municipal budgets.
Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė says that the investigation is proving fruitful, as municipal councillors have started repaying voluntarily the money they may have claimed illegitimately, even if they are not under investigation.
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“The aim is that the funds that have been embezzled should be transferred to the municipal budgets. As of today, municipal council members have reimbursed, on their own initiative, almost 876,000 euros,” Grunskienė told LRT RADIO.
The Special Investigation Service, which tackles corruption, explains that although politicians may have decided to return the illegally acquired funds, their liability under the law does not go away. However, judges may be more lenient and voluntary repayment may be seen as a mitigating circumstance.
"This is certainly welcome, because that is what the public interest is all about. However, if there are signs of a criminal offence and it is likely that a criminal offence has been committed, a person’s subsequent decision to return the funds is not a reason to discontinue a pre-trial investigation," emphasises Rūta Kaziliūnaitė, a representative of the Special Investigation Service.
The prosecutor general says there is still no end in sight to the “receipt scandal” investigations. Audits are currently being carried out in municipalities.
“There could certainly be more cases like this, as there are currently about 40 investigations underway specifically on the so-called receipts cases. Two pre-trial investigations have been closed, 53 persons have been questioned as special witnesses and 24 suspects are in custody,” says Grunskienė.
The “receipts scandal” was sparked by the journalist and influencer Andrius Tapinas who sifted through expense reports of municipal councils’ members and discovered that many were claiming reimbursements with fake receipts or even without proper proof.
The journalist and political observer Rimvydas Valatka does not believe in the sincerity of municipal politicians who started returning the funds once the revelations and subsequent prosecutions shook the public.
According to Valatka, only the courts can put an end to this story: “The case still has to go to court, there has to be a court decision, there has to be the expulsion of those politicians from their councils and a reasonable legal embargo on running for re-election. Then the purge will be over.”
The most common way politicians were misappropriating funds meant to cover their office-related expenses was through fuel receipts. They would sometimes provide receipts that were not theirs or even collaborated with petrol station operators who would give them fake receipts. Politicians also misused telephone bills, purchased unreasonably expensive services and equipment.
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