Prisons chief to challenge government reprimand in court

Lithuanian Prison Service chief Mindaugas Kairys plans to challenge in court a reprimand imposed by the government this week, LRT reported. “I really think I will go to court to have the penalty overturned,” he told BNS on Thursday.

The reprimand followed a September 14 finding by the Justice Ministry’s Corruption Prevention and Internal Investigations Division concerning possible misconduct. The ministry says Kairys failed to comply with an order from the justice minister to reverse decisions abolishing posts at Kaunas Prison and notices of dismissal issued to officers. It also says he made the changes without consulting the ministry, abolishing positions in the prison’s Security Management Division and creating posts in its Resocialisation Division.

Kairys said the process followed the rules and that, as head of the service, he had the authority to make the decisions. He said he approved the changes after reviewing proposals and consulting unions, with the largest union representing officers supporting them. The changes completed a reform launched in February 2025, he said.

Kairys also argued that the reprimand disregarded the opinion of government lawyers, which he said pointed to the benefits of resocialisation and its inclusion in national progress plans, the prison service’s guidelines and his own objectives as head of the service. He said Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė had acted contrary to those documents.

The reprimand does not by itself mean Kairys will be dismissed. Under the statute governing internal service, dismissal for misconduct may be imposed if an officer has received a severe reprimand or a more serious disciplinary penalty during the previous 12 months.

Two trade unions representing staff at pre-trial investigation institutions called this week for the proposed penalty to be rejected. They said the minister was seeking to punish Kairys for decisions permitted by law and warned that doing so could set a dangerous precedent for heads of other public institutions.

Kairys was appointed in October 2024. He received a reprimand and a severe reprimand in July last year, but the ministry says neither penalty is currently in force. Then-Justice Minister Rimantas Mockus proposed dismissing him, but Kairys had been granted whistleblower status in a pre-trial investigation, which prevents a person from being dismissed from their job.