Court to rule on "Nemuno aušra" car rental dispute

The Lithuanian court is set to deliver a verdict in the complex "Nemuno aušra" case, which centers on allegations of serious financial misconduct by the political party. The court had initially planned to announce its decision last week but extended the deadline due to the case's intricacy, involving interpretation of legal norms, evidence evaluation, and the determination of legally significant circumstances.

The case stems from a complaint filed by the party "Nemuno aušra," its chairman Remigijus Žemaitaitis, and vice-chairwoman and Member of Parliament Daiva Petkevičienė. They are challenging a decision by the Chief Electoral Commission (VRK). The VRK determined that the party committed a grave financial violation by renting vehicles from two of its own members, R. Žemaitaitis and D. Petkevičienė, in 2024. The party paid for these rentals using state budget allocations designated for political parties, which the VRK deemed an improper use of funds.

According to the VRK's assessment, the party failed to substantiate expenses totaling 49,500 euros in its financial reports, classifying these violations as severe. Consequently, on April 2nd, the commission decided to withhold the party's semi-annual subsidy, which amounts to over 240,000 euros. Furthermore, R. Žemaitaitis and D. Petkevičienė were ordered to return 26,776 euros and 15,349 euros, respectively, to the party.

Earlier, in February, the civic initiative "Viešpirkiai" brought attention to a car rental agreement dated January 17, 2024, between "Nemuno aušra" and its leader R. Žemaitaitis, valued at 31,500 euros. This contract was valid until November 13, 2024, but was only publicly disclosed on January 29th of this year. The agreement lists "Nemuno aušra" as the buyer and R. Žemaitaitis as the supplier. D. Petkevičienė, also a member of "Nemuno aušra," was involved in renting the vehicle to the party.