Apeliacinio teismo pirmininkas baigė kadenciją ir pasitraukė iš Teisėjų tarybos

Lithuanian Court of Appeal Chairman Nerijus Meilutis has ended his term as head of the court and will no longer serve on the Council of Judges, national news agency ELTA reports.

Meilutis will continue working as a judge in the Criminal Cases Division of the Lithuanian Court of Appeal. His departure from the Council of Judges follows the expiry of his term as court chairman on June 22.

The Council of Judges elected Ramūnas Gadliauskas, a judge of the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania and a member of the Council of Judges, as the new deputy chairman of the Council of Judges during an extraordinary meeting on June 19. Gadliauskas replaced Meilutis, who had served as deputy chairman of the Council of Judges alongside his role as chairman of the Court of Appeal.

The newly elected deputy chairman began his duties last week and will serve until the current leadership’s term expires, according to the National Courts Administration.

ELTA noted that the Seimas (parliament) did not support Meilutis’ candidacy for a second term as chairman of the Court of Appeal on June 9. Legal experts and politicians have expressed surprise at the decision, as no official complaints had been raised against Meilutis. Some speculate that the move may be linked to political retaliation, as many officials convicted in high-profile corruption cases—often referred to as the “čekiukai” cases—lost their positions following appeals in Meilutis’ court, with only a few acquitted.

The Council of Judges is the executive body of judicial self-government in Lithuania, ensuring the independence of courts and judges. It consists of 17 members, including the presidents of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Administrative Court, with other members elected by the General Assembly of Judges. Judges may serve on the council for no more than two consecutive terms.