Lithuanian Supreme Court: Lawyer's assistant convicted of influence peddling was rightly found guilty

The Lithuanian Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of Henrikas Ratautas, a lawyer's assistant, for influence peddling, confirming he was justifiably found guilty. The case involved Ratautas agreeing to and accepting a 2,000 Euro bribe.

He promised to use his connections or influence within the Kaunas District Court to ensure a favorable outcome for a lawsuit in exchange for the payment. The initial court had acquitted Ratautas, ruling that his actions did not constitute the crime. However, an appellate court overturned this, finding the acquittal unjustified.

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The panel of judges, having examined the case, emphasized that when charging influence peddling, it is not necessary to ascertain that the goal sought through corruption was achieved.

The Supreme Court's panel highlighted that for influence peddling charges, it is not necessary to prove that the corrupt objective was actually achieved. In this case, evidence showed Ratautas not only promised to influence a judge's decision in a civil case through an intermediary but also actually received the bribe. The fact that the civil case was ultimately decided against his clients and that the bribe was not passed on to any court official did not negate the reality of the influence peddling actions.

The court stressed that Ratautas acted with direct intent. He made promises and guaranteed the use of his connections or influence in court, agreed on the bribe amount with the plaintiffs, and accepted the payment. The court dismissed Ratautas's cassation appeal, reinforcing the conviction.

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The fact that the bribe was not transferred to any judge or civil servant whom the defendant had promised to influence is legally irrelevant when recognizing the person as guilty of intermediary bribery.