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This was the decision of the Panevėžys Regional Court, which heard a civil case regarding unjust enrichment on appeal.

The court of first instance had previously ruled on February 10 of this year that Zigmas Jaunius must pay 19,019.07 EUR to the Šilutė District Municipality, along with 5 percent annual interest on that amount from the date the case was filed (October 3, 2024) until the full execution of the judgment, and 428 EUR in state stamp duty.

Z. Jaunius appealed this decision, requesting it be overturned, sent back to the court of first instance for a new trial, or that the amount owed be reduced to 9,510 EUR. However, the Panevėžys Regional Court rejected his appeal and upheld the original ruling.

The regional court stated that it fully agreed with the arguments and conclusions of the court of first instance. After analyzing the documents submitted by Z. Jaunius to justify his expenses and the circumstances of the case, it was determined that a large portion of the expenses for fuel and office supplies had been reimbursed without justification. The court concluded that the council member failed to prove that the expenses he sought to be compensated for were incurred while performing his duties as a council member.

The purchase receipts submitted by Z. Jaunius for compensation showed that fuel was purchased multiple times a day, within minutes of each other, in extremely large quantities (exceeding the capacity of the fuel tanks of the specified cars), with different types of fuel being purchased at the same time. Purchases were also made in other municipalities where council member activities were not being carried out, and fuel was bought during the national quarantine when certain restrictions were in place.

Furthermore, Z. Jaunius submitted receipts for office supplies such as gouache paint, a paint mixing palette, brushes, a sketchbook, frames, large quantities of workbooks, etc. The court was convinced that these items were not related to the activities of a council member.

Although Z. Jaunius claimed in his appeal that he organized sports events and invited the community with hand-drawn posters, the regional court noted that a council member's functions are not directly related to organizing or participating in sports events. Therefore, the drawing of posters was considered unrelated to the performance of a council member's direct duties.

The panel of judges at the regional court noted that the established circumstances—where compensation was sought for expenses allegedly incurred for council member duties—indicated dishonest conduct on the part of Z. Jaunius in receiving such compensation.

The ruling of the Panevėžys Regional Court is final and takes effect immediately, but it can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Lithuania within three months.

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