VILNIUS – Although an exact date has not been set, it is likely that a Vilnius court will open the hearing against former President Rolandas Paksas for leaking state secrets in mid-July, the Baltic News Service reported on Thursday.
The case was handed to the court on May 19 after completion of the investigation by the prosecutor general, and lawyers for the defense are in talks with the court to determine when they will be ready to begin.
Paksas is accused of leaking state secrets to Yuri Borisov, his long-time flying partner and largest campaign contributor, while in the president's post.
Specifically, the ex-president allegedly told Borisov that Lithuania's state security service had wiretapped his telephone.
The parliamentary commission that investigated the Paksas administration found that Paksas had indeed informed Borisov of the wiretapping and therefore broke both his oath of office and the constitution.
After he was impeached, prosecutors began looking into whether Paksas had violated the Penal Code by sharing the information with Borisov.
If found guilty, he could face a fine, lose the right to work in certain spheres, or up to three years in prison.
The hearing will take place behind closed doors since material in the case involves state secrets.
