CEDH · CASELAW;COMMUNICATEDCASES;ENG — 11 mai 2020

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .s379BC09C { margin-top:36pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s10950C61 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:14.2pt; text-align:justify } .s5E1364CA { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:12pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:14pt } .s339D85E6 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:14pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s665E407E { margin-top:66pt; margin-bottom:14pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .s25D5DE94 { margin-top:66pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:7pt } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } Communicated on 11 May 2020 Published on 8 June 2020   SECOND SECTION Application no. 42177/19 Algimantas MARAZAS against Lithuania lodged on 31 July 2019 SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE The application concerns refusal of State-guaranteed legal aid. The applicant was involved in civil litigation with a bank. The first ‑ instance and appellate courts allowed the bank’s claim and ordered the applicant to pay approximately 726,000 euros (EUR). The applicant applied for State-guaranteed legal aid in order to lodge an appeal on points of law, which could only be lodged by a lawyer. The authorities acknowledged that the applicant’s financial situation warranted granting him legal aid; however, the civil case was related to his commercial activities, and domestic law explicitly excluded the provision of State-guaranteed legal aid in such cases. The applicant complains under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 14 of the Convention that he was denied access to a court and that the refusal to grant him legal aid disadvantaged him vis-à-vis the bank.   QUESTION TO THE PARTIES Has there been a violation of the applicant’s rights under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention in view of the fact that he was refused State-guaranteed legal aid for the sole reason that the civil case was related to his commercial activities (see Urbšienė and Urbšys v. Lithuania , no.   16580/09, §§ 52-54, 8   November 2016)?