Supreme Court hears appeals in attempted baby-buying case
Wednesday 28th October 2026 on 10:45 in
Lithuania
Lithuania’s Supreme Court has heard appeals from a lawyer and her husband, who are seeking to overturn their convictions for buying or selling a child, LRT reported. The court is expected to announce its decision in December.
The hearing was held behind closed doors because the case is not public, and no further details were released. The lawyer attended the hearing in Vilnius with her defence counsel. Her husband did not appear and was represented by a lawyer. Prosecutor Rimas Juodis of the Prosecutor General’s Office asked the court to reject the appeals.
The appeals challenge a ruling by an appellate court, which found the couple guilty and sentenced each to one year of restriction of liberty without intensive supervision. They were also barred from contacting the child’s mother and ordered to pay 2,500 euros each to the Crime Victims Fund. A lower court had acquitted them.
Delfi previously reported that the couple, a lawyer from Kaunas and her husband, a businessman who had earlier run for parliament, tried several years ago to buy a newborn. According to the report, they made an illegal arrangement with a pregnant woman who had initially wanted to end her pregnancy.
The woman reportedly contacted the pregnant woman the day after she visited a clinic, saying she could not have children. She proposed that her husband be named as the baby’s father so she could later adopt his child. The pregnant woman agreed, and money was promised. Delfi reported that she received more than 10,000 euros before giving birth. The two sides signed an agreement on recognition of paternity, which was notarised.
About a month before the birth, the pregnant woman changed her mind and said she would raise the child herself. According to the report, the lawyer’s husband then threatened her, and child-protection specialists visited her home after he contacted them. The woman reportedly tried to arrange repayment of the money in instalments and later contacted law enforcement as the threats continued.