5.  The applicant was born in 1959 and lives in Kaunas. 6.  In 1989 the local authorities assigned a plot of land measuring 0.03 hectares to the applicant for the construction of a house (hereinafter “the land”). In 1991 Kaunas City Council confirmed the validity of that decision. 7.  Between 1992 and 1994 the applicant obtained a building permit and began laying the foundations. According to the applicant, he subsequently had to suspend the building works due to the worsening economic situation, thus the house was not completed. 8.  In 1994 the applicant bought the land for a nominal price of 24 “single-use investment vouchers” (investiciniai čekiai) and 98 Lithuanian litai (LTL – approximately 28 euros (EUR)), which he paid to the Kaunas County Administration. In 2005 he signed a land purchase agreement with the Kaunas County Administration. The plot was subsequently registered in the Land Registry in his name. 9.  In 2006 third parties V.P. and T.I. brought a civil claim seeking restoration of their ownership rights to the land. They argued that they had already submitted requests for restitution of property in 1992, 2001 and 2003, so the land had been assigned and later sold to the applicant unlawfully. 10.  On 16 August 2007 the Kaunas City District Court allowed the civil claim. The court held that the applicant had been assigned the land unlawfully because the local authorities had an obligation to resolve restitution claims before assigning plots to new owners. Applying the principle of priority of former owners’ rights, the court annulled the administrative decisions assigning the land to the applicant and the land purchase agreement, and ordered the Kaunas County Administration to return LTL 122 (EUR 35) to the applicant. The land was returned to the State. 11.  On 23 January 2008 the Kaunas Regional Court upheld that decision. 12.  The applicant lodged a cassation appeal. On 30 April 2008 the Supreme Court refused to examine it on the ground that it did not raise any important legal issues. 13.  In September 2008 the applicant requested the Kaunas regional prosecutor to investigate whether V.P. and T.I. had produced false documents proving their ownership rights. The prosecutor refused to launch an investigation on the ground that no crime appeared to have been committed. The domestic courts upheld that decision.