Vytautas Magnus University dismisses agriculture academy chancellor after empty training courses scandal

Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) has dismissed Vigilijus Jukna from his position as chancellor of its Agriculture Academy following reports that state-funded training courses for farmers were conducted without participants, BNS news agency reported on Wednesday.

The university’s council made the decision during an extraordinary meeting chaired by Rector Ineta Dabašinskienė. Jukna had previously been suspended from his duties pending an investigation. The council also approved a new commission to examine potential violations and removed Edita Meškinytė, head of the Animal Production Research and Innovation Centre, from her post for the duration of the probe.

In a statement, VDU emphasised that transparency, integrity, and academic ethics were core institutional values. “The council adopted a decision that, in our conviction, best reflects the university’s commitment to transparency and accountability,” said Virginija Vitkienė, chair of the VDU council. “Our priority is the university’s reputation and the trust placed in us by students, employees, and partners.”

Rector Dabašinskienė added that the university “does not tolerate any dishonest or unethical conduct” and that the dismissal was a “necessary step to ensure the trust of both the university community and the public.” The institution pledged full cooperation with law enforcement and is conducting its own internal investigation to prevent future incidents.

The scandal emerged after media reports revealed that Jukna’s organisation, “Mokslinės paslaugos” (Scientific Services), had billed the state for training courses—part of two EU-funded projects—where no attendees were present. The projects, covering sustainable livestock farming and plant protection, were contracted to deliver 1155 and 1980 certificates respectively, with €298,935 allocated for the sessions. Regulations require a minimum of 12 participants per course, but investigations found multiple instances of empty classrooms.

Jukna, a former member of the Labour Party and currently inactive in the Social Democratic Party, had also served as a public advisor to Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė before his dismissal earlier this week.