Successfully defended gambling organizer’s position in the Supreme Administrative Court

Our dispute resolution and the regulatory team successfully defended the client Olympic Casino Group Baltija against the national gambling authority regarding the duties of Anti-money laundering (AML) and terrorist financing prevention laws imposed on gambling organisers.

In 2020 the Vilnius District Administrative Court satisfied the client’s complaint and annulled the decision of the regulator and the fine imposed ruling that the client fulfilled the requirements of the AML laws properly executed its AML responsibilities.

GCA appealed the decision, however, on 6 October 2021, the Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Lithuania stated that the Vilnius District Administrative Court properly evaluated all the evidence gathered in the case and properly identified legally essential circumstances to solve the case, also rightly adapted substantial national legislation regulating dispute legal relations, complied with the case-law of the Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Lithuania, and overall properly resolved the case. As a result, the appeal of the regulator was rejected and the positive decision was left unchanged.

It is the first case where the EU AML directive implementing national legislation was examined in administrative courts. We are glad that the law was not misinterpreted and we are on the right way in applying constantly developing EU AML legislation.