Lithuania proposes Donatas Škarnulis as border guard chief

Lithuania’s interior minister has proposed appointing acting State Border Guard Service chief Donatas Škarnulis to the post permanently from November 5, LRT reported.

Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas submitted the proposal to the government. The service chief is appointed for a five-year term.

Škarnulis has served with the State Border Guard Service, known by its Lithuanian acronym VSAT, since 2000. He has held several posts, including head of the Criminal Investigations Board, and became deputy chief in January last year. He has been acting chief since August 20, when Rustamas Liubajevas left the post.

The minister’s submission describes Škarnulis as having long-term management experience, strong organisational skills and experience in cooperation between institutions and with international partners. It also notes that he speaks English and Russian. He has received several awards for exemplary service.

Škarnulis holds a master’s degree in law from the Lithuanian Law Academy, now Mykolas Romeris University. He is also a former race walker who placed 12th at the 2007 World Athletics Championships and competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

BNS reported that Liubajevas left the service following a border incident. In late July, four officers set an ambush after a tunnel being dug under the state border was detected in the territory of the Kapčiamiestis border guard station. Officers arrested several migrants and handcuffed them, but about 20 foreigners attacked the officers. The officers had to flee, and the migrants, including those in handcuffs, escaped to Belarus. VSAT reported finding the tunnel and the migrants’ escape but did not disclose the attack or the possible injury of an officer.