Businessman Germanas Forgoes Appeal on Prison Fine

Lithuanian businessman V. Germanas has decided not to appeal a fine issued after a confrontation with a prison official in January. The Vilnius City District Court upheld the fine on April 24, and the deadline to appeal to the Vilnius Regional Court passed on May 19 without Germanas filing an appeal, making the court's decision final.

The incident occurred in January at the Kaunas prison, where Germanas, while detained, reportedly called a prison employee "disabled." The court found that Germanas's words constituted an insult to the official. Germanas had appealed the fine, claiming his actions were provoked and that he used the term "disabled" to describe the situation when his bracelet was taken, not to insult the officer. He also alleged that he was intentionally provoked by a personal officer during his detention.

The prison official testified that Germanas also called him a "piece of shit" and stated that Germanas was not permitted to wear the bracelet in the meeting room. Germanas was released from Kaunas prison on February 16, having served 16 months, after the Vilnius Regional Court denied a prosecutor's request to extend his pre-trial detention, opting instead for intensive supervision and a 1 million euro bail.

Separately, in April, the General Prosecutor's Office forwarded a criminal case to the court involving Germanas, Mindaugas Navickas (husband of former Social Security and Labor Minister Monika Navickienė), and two others. They are accused of illegally acquiring nearly 24 million euros worth of property through a scheme involving cryptocurrency mining equipment. Germanas has pleaded not guilty to these charges.