Kairys says whistleblower status has not been revoked

Lithuanian Prison Service chief Mindaugas Kairys says his whistleblower status has not been revoked and the process is still ongoing, LRT reported, citing the ELTA news agency.

Kairys said he could not provide further details. The Special Investigation Service has opened a pre-trial investigation into suspected unlawful influence over the prison service chief, but the Prosecutor General’s Office told ELTA that the investigation had been discontinued.

“The pre-trial investigation into suspected interference with the activities of a civil servant or a person performing public administration functions was discontinued on May 29 this year, after it was established that no act bearing the characteristics of a crime or criminal offence had been committed,” prosecution spokeswoman Gintarė Vitkauskaitė-Šatkauskienė told ELTA.

Delfi reported, citing unofficial information, that the investigation concerned the actions of then Justice Minister Rimantas Mockus. The outlet reported that Kairys may have recorded a conversation with Mockus and submitted it to law enforcement.

Kairys was appointed deputy director of the Prison Service in March 2023 and became its director in May 2024. He has previously received several disciplinary penalties and challenged them in court. The government issued him a reprimand on July 9 last year and a severe reprimand on July 16, following proposals from then Justice Minister Mockus.

Current Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė has proposed another reprimand for Kairys. The ministry’s investigation found that he breached the Statute of the Internal Service and other legal acts by deciding to abolish positions at Kaunas Prison despite the minister’s order to reverse those decisions. The government will decide whether to issue the reprimand.

Kairys said a reorganisation at Kaunas Prison, a prison facility operating across three buildings in Kaunas, began last year and is continuing this year. The changes are intended to strengthen support for prisoners returning to society after serving their sentences. Some employees from the prison’s Security Management Department have been transferred to its Resocialisation Department, following what Kairys described as good practice in Norway’s penal system.

Employees in two of the buildings were transferred last year, and the changes were due to be completed in the third building this year. Kairys said halting the reorganisation would disrupt operations, leave processes different across buildings and create unequal workloads for staff doing essentially the same work.

He said the changes comply with current laws and were discussed with all trade unions, adding that the largest union representing Prison Service staff had supported them. Employees offered positions in the Resocialisation Department were offered higher pay for similar work, Kairys said, and were not being forced to transfer.