Lithuania’s Supreme Court acquits former Klaipėda prosecutor Giniotis of abuse of power

Lithuania’s Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of former Klaipėda prosecutor Aidas Giniotis, ruling that his actions constituted a disciplinary rather than a criminal offence, LRT reports.

Giniotis had previously been found guilty of abuse of power and fined €20,000, with a five-year ban from public service. However, the Panevėžys Regional Court acquitted him in autumn 2024, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The ruling is final and not subject to appeal.

Prosecutors had accused Giniotis of misconduct while serving as Klaipėda’s chief prosecutor, including instructing police not to launch a pre-trial investigation into vehicle data tampering and engaging in unofficial meetings with defence lawyer Aivaras Surblys, who represented suspect Virgilijus Valius in a drug-related case. Giniotis allegedly shared sensitive case details with Surblys, coordinated favourable procedural decisions, and eased detention conditions for Valius in exchange for avoiding criminal liability.

The Supreme Court determined that while Giniotis’s actions were improper, they did not meet the threshold for criminal prosecution. Surblys remains convicted of influence peddling, with a €25,000 fine and €5,500 confiscation order, while Valius was fined €25,000 for bribery.

The case stems from a broader judicial corruption probe, parts of which are still under review by Lithuania’s Court of Appeal. Giniotis was dismissed from his prosecutorial post in 2019 following an internal ethics investigation.