Lithuanian Supreme Court orders retrial in Tomas sanctions violation case

Lithuania’s Supreme Court has referred the case of Stanislovas Tomas, convicted of violating international sanctions against Russia’s Pravfond, back to the appellate court for a fresh review, the court announced on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court ruled that the regional court, which examined Tomas’s appeal, failed to properly assess the legality and justification of the district court’s decision. It also did not address key arguments in the appeal regarding the unreliability of investigative journalism data and the need for further verification.

As a result, the regional court’s ruling was annulled, and the administrative offence case was sent back for reconsideration.

The Supreme Court clarified that both open-source intelligence data and journalistic investigations can be used as evidence in administrative cases, provided they meet all legal requirements. It also rejected Tomas’s claim that he was not a suitable subject for the alleged offence, noting that he was a Lithuanian citizen during the relevant period. His declared residence in various foreign countries was deemed legally irrelevant to his administrative liability as a Lithuanian.

The court further dismissed Tomas’s request for an interpreter in Spanish, as he demonstrates sufficient proficiency in Lithuanian, both spoken and written.

Tomas was fined 3,100 euros for failing to seek permission before receiving funds from Pravfond—a Russian state-linked fund under international sanctions—and for transferring the money to a Panamanian bank account under his name. He received at least 7,000 euros from the sanctioned fund. The Financial Crime Investigation Service imposed the penalty.

Pravfond, established in 2011, is funded by Russia’s Foreign Ministry and led by former Russian ambassador to Lithuania Aleksandr Udaltsov. Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian intelligence agencies, along with other Western nations, have confirmed its direct ties to Russian special services. The fund has been under EU sanctions since 2023 and has previously financed lawyers for individuals accused of crimes against humanity in Lithuania’s January 13 case, as well as pro-Russian figures.