Lithuanian border guard chief reports five officers face corruption charges annually

The head of Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT) has revealed that an average of five officers receive corruption-related charges each year, following the recent detention of three border guards in a smuggling investigation, LRT reports.

Rustamas Liubajevas, VSAT director, told the ELTA news agency that while corruption cases persist, the service has seen positive shifts in recent years, with more officers resisting criminal pressure and reporting attempts to recruit them for illegal activities.

“Over the past period, we received 47 reports from officers about offers to transport contraband,” Liubajevas said. “They informed either the Immunity Board or checkpoint supervisors that they had been approached and asked to assist in smuggling. Not all officers yield to such temptations—they alert their superiors or the Immunity Board.”

He attributed the trend to broader societal intolerance for legal violations, stating, “The mindset is changing. Such offers are no longer appealing.”

Liubajevas defended the work of VSAT’s Immunity Board, established 20 years ago to combat internal corruption, noting it predates a similar unit in the national police. Since its founding, 247 border guards have faced charges, with courts convicting 167. “Pre-trial investigations in these cases are complex, and evidence isn’t always sufficient,” he acknowledged.

The service also conducts preventive interviews with officers flagged for suspicious behavior, encouraging self-assessment of their suitability for duty. Between 2021 and 2024, these discussions led to the resignation of 20 officers.

In the ongoing cigarette-smuggling probe involving weather balloons, 27 individuals were detained, including 10 police officers from Vilnius and Šalčininkai and three border guards. Authorities seized a luxury Mercedes with vanity plates “3AKON”—a reference to criminal underworld codes—linked to an associate of one detained officer. Liubajevas confirmed the officer had previously undergone a preventive interview but denied ownership of the vehicle.

“We live in a democratic state where rumors circulate, but we must rely on evidence, not gossip,” he said, while acknowledging corruption remains a persistent challenge.