Successful defence of Daiva Ulbinaitė in a case of unauthorised disclosure of state secret

In 2013–2016, Giedrius Danėlius acted as the main defence lawyer for Dalia Ulbinaitė, spokeswoman for the then President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė, in a case concerning an unauthorised disclosure of state secret and official misconduct.

The pre-trial investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of state secret began in October 2013 when the news agency BNS announced the warnings issued by the State Security Department of Lithuania about Russia’s information warfare against the leaders of Lithuania. Ms. Ulbinaitė was accused of disclosing state secret to an editor working for BNS. Vilnius District Court, followed by the Superior Court of Lithuania, established that the material handed over to the journalists did not constitute state secret. This high-profile case helped to establish the case-law relating to the unauthorised disclosure of state secret.

Ms. Ulbinaitė kept her reputation intact and, following the court’s ruling, was invited to resume her position at the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania.