Court orders probe into alleged pressure on prison service chief

Vilnius City District Court has ruled that a pre-trial investigation into possible pressure on Lithuanian Prison Service director Mindaugas Kairys must continue, LRT reports.

The court partially upheld Kairys’s complaint against the decision to end an investigation into alleged interference with a public official’s duties. It overturned prosecutors’ decisions to close the case, saying the investigation was incomplete and evidence had been assessed selectively. The court rejected Kairys’s request to appoint a different prosecutor, saying that decision was outside the investigative judge’s powers.

The ruling is not final and can be appealed to Vilnius Regional Court.

Kairys previously told ELTA that his whistleblower status had not been revoked and that the proceedings were not over. He said he had asked the court to intervene because he believed many investigative steps remained outstanding. He said the service would review the ruling before deciding what to do next.

The Special Investigation Service had opened the investigation into possible unlawful influence on the prison service chief. The Prosecutor General’s Office later said it had been closed after concluding that no act bearing signs of a crime or criminal misdemeanour had been committed.

According to unofficial information reported by Delfi, the investigation concerned the actions of then Justice Minister Rimantas Mockus. The report said Kairys may have recorded a conversation with Mockus and given it to law enforcement.

Kairys was appointed deputy director of the Lithuanian Prison Service in March 2023 and became its director in May 2024. He has challenged several disciplinary penalties in court. In July 2025, the government issued him a reprimand and then a severe reprimand, following proposals by Mockus based on internal reviews.

Current Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė has also proposed reprimanding Kairys. The recommendation followed an internal review which found that he had breached the statute governing the internal service and other legal acts by making decisions to abolish positions at Kaunas Prison despite the minister’s order to reverse them. The government issued the reprimand, and Kairys has said he will challenge that penalty in court as well.