The Lithuanian Court of Appeal on Thursday rejected the appeal of Jonava District Mayor Mindaugas Sinkevičius, upholding a lower court’s ruling that found him guilty of abuse of office in the so-called “receipt” case.
The Court of Appeal also upheld Sinkevičius’ conviction for document forgery and misappropriation of municipal funds.
In late May, the Kaunas Regional Court found the Jonava District mayor guilty of the offences, fining him 12,500 euros and banning him from holding public office, including the position of mayor, for three years.
Although Sinkevičius can still appeal the Court of Appeal’s ruling, it takes immediate effect, meaning that he will have to step down as mayor of Jonava District.
According to Sinkevičius’ lawyer Arūnas Petrauskas, part of the ruling will be enforced once “the relevant authorities” receive the court’s decision.
Sinkevičius denied the charges and appealed, arguing that the lower court had failed to consider the case material fully and had selectively assessed the evidence presented.
He was accused of causing 1,487 euros in financial and non-financial damages between 2019 and 2023 while serving as a council member and mayor, which allegedly undermined public trust in the mayoral office.
He was charged with falsifying 16 documents by submitting inaccurate information about purchases unrelated to his activities as a council member.
The charges claim that the politician included receipts for Telia Lietuva telecom services and two Samsung TV sets in his council member expense reports.
Sinkevičius suspended his membership of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) last November after formal charges were brought against him in the criminal case.
However, he is listed at number 141 on the party’s list of candidates for the October parliamentary election.
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