Šiauliai politicians' corruption investigation concluded: some convicted, others charges dropped
Two council representatives avoided criminal liability, but several other electoral committee members were convicted or face trial for misuse of funds.
Šiauliai politicians' corruption investigation concluded: some convicted, others charges dropped
A pre-trial investigation into the expenses of Šiauliai City Council members has concluded favourably for two politicians. Regional prosecutor A. Mirnyj dropped suspicions against Antanas Sireika and Jonas Bartkus, LRT reported.
Both politicians had previously been suspected of abuse of office, fraud, theft of property, and document forgery. However, the prosecutor overseeing the investigation decided that neither of them had committed any criminal acts. A. Sireika returned more than €9,600 to the municipality during the pre-trial proceedings. J. Bartkus returned nearly €5,000. I. Levickienė, a representative of the General Prosecutor's Office, confirmed that no civil cases concerning these amounts were initiated, as the money was returned in time.
At the same time, another member of the same "Dirbame miestui" committee, G. Lukošaitis, was found guilty. The regional court found him guilty of abuse of office, theft of property, and document forgery. He was fined and banned from holding elected or appointed positions for three years. The verdict is not final – the case has been referred to a higher instance.
Beyond the criminal case, G. Lukošaitis also lost his civil case. The courts awarded over €11,000 against him, which must be transferred to the city budget. The Supreme Court refused to review this case by way of cassation.
Two other committee members – D. Martinkienė and A. Žvinys – avoided imprisonment under bail conditions. D. Martinkienė was banned from holding elected or appointed positions for three years and ordered to pay €1,000 into a victim compensation fund.
A. Žvinys lost not only his council mandate but also his position as director of Šiauliai Drama Theatre. He received a stricter sanction than the prosecutors had requested – a three-year ban on holding both elected and appointed positions, plus €1,000 into a victim compensation fund.
The fifth committee member, S. Stasiūnas, was acquitted in the criminal case, but in the civil case the court ordered him to return over €5,600. This decision is still being reviewed in a higher instance.
According to I. Levickienė, the politicians have already returned over €82,000 to the city budget. This figure does not include G. Lukošaitis's payment – he publicly stated that he was returning the money in instalments.
Source: LRT