On Thursday, the Kaunas District Court started examining the criminal case in which the former mayor of Alytus district and current council member Algirdas Vrubliauskas is accused of abusing self-government benefits, the politician has pleaded not guilty.
When the participants in the process did not request their suspensions, prosecutor Dariis Valkavičiis and the politician’s defense lawyer did not submit requests, the case began to be considered in substance, the court began examining the evidence.
According to the indictment brought by D. Valkavičius, A. Vrubliauskas, during the last term as a member of the Alytus District Municipal Council, as well as performing individual activities and being a VAT payer, having the right to receive payment related to the expenses of the council member, abused his official position for personal gain.
According to the prosecutor, A. Vrubliauskas entered unrealistic expenses in the accounts as related to the activities of a council member. He is accused of purchasing diesel, car parts and including the VAT invoices for these purchases in the accounting of individual activities, thereby falsifying the accounting of council members’ expenses.
Prosecutor Darius Valkavičius (T. Biliūnas/BNS photo)
According to the indictment, the politician falsified documents systematically and fraudulently obtained the funds of the Alytus district municipality.
At the hearing, the prosecutor named dozens of episodes of providing financial information confusing private and public interests, possibly covering the costs of individual activities with the funds allocated to the council member.
According to the specified, compiled articles, I do not admit guilt.
“This (A. Vrubliauskas – BNS) caused great non-pecuniary damage to the municipality, as trust in this institution was undermined, its authority in society was undermined, as well as trust in state politicians was undermined”, said D. Valkavičius.
According to him, A. Vrubliauskas also made a big one – 19 thousand. 669 euros – property damage to the administration of the Alytus district municipality.
A. Vrubliauskas stated in court that he understood what he was accused of, but did not admit to committing a crime.
“According to the specified, written articles, I do not admit guilt,” he said.
Algirdas Vrubliauskas (photo by T. Biliūnas/BNS)
Judge Algirdas Remeika is examining this case, at the next meeting he planned to call a witness, and then to listen to the testimony of the accused.
The case was handed over to the court at the end of March, A. Vrubliauskas is accused of fraud, abuse, forgery of a document and possession of a forged document.
The Special Investigation Service (STT) submitted the allegations to the politician at the beginning of January. Soon A. Vrubliauskas returned almost 20 thousand. of the municipal council member’s benefits, calling their use for personal needs a “disappointing mistake”.
Having received suspicions, A. Vrubliauskas also suspended his membership in the Patriotic Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) party in January, with which he entered the Alytus district council in last year’s municipal elections.
The conservative, who has been in charge of the municipality since 1997, lost in the second round to Rasa Vitkauskiena nominated by the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuvos” and lost his long-term post of mayor.
According to the data of May 6, STT is conducting 25 pre-trial investigations into the possible inappropriate use of funds by 25 municipalities: the cities of Vilnius, Šiauliai, Panevėžys and the cities of Alytus, Utena, Ukmergė, Kretinga, Ignalina, Mažeikių, Šilutė, Jonava, Lazdijai, Pasvali, Prienė, Telšiai, Radviliškis, Joniškis, Tauragė, Zarasai, Akmenė districts and municipalities of Birštonas, Marijampole, Neringa, Pagėgiai, Druskininkai.
Suspicions have been brought against eight politicians, three cases have been referred to the court.
Law enforcement investigations were started after publicist Andrius Tapinas, who initiated the “Skaidrinam” campaign, started publicizing the possible abuse of the benefits of members of municipal councils.
T. Biliūnas/BNS photo.
Tags: court opened abuse case Vrubliauskas exmer admit guilt
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