The firefighter who created the prostitution ring in Kaunas was fired not because of a case but because of an illness and was paid compensation.

A.Černius, who has lived for two years in Kaunas, created a network of massage parlors and apartments where supposedly erotic massages are provided, for two years, in the spring period from 2015 to September 2017, managed by foreign hands of a vulnerable person. .

According to the case file, A. Černius gave this hired director of the company negligible sums of money for food for the performance of the specified tasks, and used physical violence and mental coercion for his improper performance, shouting in uncensored words , humiliating, threatening. to vacate the inhabited premises.

The prostitution ring was exposed by police officers posing as clients. A.Černius, born in 1988, was arrested on September 12, 2017. At the same time, an assistant born in 1990, who was later recognized as a victim, was arrested and possibly in the performance of his duties. A. Černius has been charged with organizing human trafficking.

Kaunas police recognized that this “business” was well organized. The study, while browsing the prostitution ring, took about half a year.

The case heard in the Kaunas Regional Court for two years ended with a verdict announced on February 19 this year. A. Černius was found guilty of the commission of the offenses set forth in Article 138 (1) of the Criminal Code (minor health disorder), Article 147 (1) (trafficking in human beings), Article 307 (2) (Loss of profit from the prostitution of another person).

The former firefighter was sentenced to a cumulative sentence of 4 years in prison, suspended for two years, with punitive measures during this period: continue working and studying, not leaving home from 24 hours to 6 hours if it was not related to work. or studies.

It was decided to recover € 52,945 from A.Černius, which is allegedly income earned from prostitution.

The younger brother of A. Černius, Saulius Černius, was also found guilty of committing the crimes provided for in article 233 (1) of the Penal Code (impact on the witness and the victim), article 253 (1) (illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives or explosives). He was sentenced to a cumulative sentence of 1.5 years in prison, which prohibits communication with those affected.

The official inspection has been suspended

How did A.Černius’s employer react to all these “extracurricular” activities of the praised and awarded employee?

According to Vida Šmigelskienė, Head of the Communication Division of the Fire Protection and Rescue Department (PAGD), on September 13, 2017, an official inspection was started at the Kaunas County Fire and Rescue Board (APGV) (then still an independent institution) with respect to the shares of A.Černius. This was done by decision of T. Sušinskas, the Deputy Chief of Kaunas APGV, who performed the duties of the Chief, according to the official report of the 3rd team chief, E. Karoblius, dated 12 September 2017.

Until A.Černius, who received a star for his merits in the State Fire and Rescue Service, was arrested, he was not paid a salary. At that time there was no preparation for his release unless a conviction was given. This is evidenced by the fact that the official inspection was suspended after 5 days, on September 18, 2017.

According to V.Šmigelskienė, the investigation was suspended due to the lack of possibility to separate the official fault from the criminal act.

“After the reorganization of the Fire Protection and Rescue Department, after centralizing internal investigation activities, the investigation material was taken from Kaunas APGV in early 2019 and presented to PAGD’s Internal Investigation and Corruption Prevention Board. . So far, the official inspection has not been resumed because there was no basis ”, assured the PAGD representative.

Retired a year ago due to illness

However, A.Černius left his job at the Kaunas fire station without reaching the end of the case in court. It is true that on May 27, 2020, he was dismissed from internal service by order of the head of the Kaunas PGV not for committing crimes, but for his health. It was determined that he had been paid severance pay equal to the average salary of 4 months.

“A. Černius was not removed from his post on suspicion of having committed an intentional criminal act, since article 36 of the Statute of the Internal Service (wording in force from 01.01.2017 to 31.12.2017) did not provide for such an obligation, Contrary to the Law in force in the wording – Article 45 of the Internal Service Statute. 1 d. 3 p. Establishes that an official must be dismissed if he is suspected or accused of having committed a serious or very serious crime or if he is suspected or he is accused of having committed a crime or crime against public service or public interest, ”explained V. Šmigelskienė.

Deprived of the right to work for law enforcement, inability to fulfill your duties to enforce a sentence or commit an intentional crime as a result of a court order convicting an official of an intentional crime or an intentional misdemeanor At 31 December 2018 – from territorial institutions subordinate to PAGD) were dismissed: in 2018 – 1 official, in 2019 and 2020 – 3 each.

Severance pay equivalent to the average salary of 4 months was paid.

“The Department of Fire Protection and Rescue adheres to the provision that officials must manage their privacy in such a way that the interests of the state fire and rescue service and the reputation of the internal service official are not harmed,” assured V. Šmigelskienė.

A.Černius: “I have not demoted the name of an official”

The fact that he was fired a year ago for illness 15 minutes confirmed by A. Cernius himself.

The final courts, I thought, would quit my job. I worked well in the fire department, they valued me well, but if such a situation already … I did not want to humiliate their name. I worked for about a year when the case was already underway. Then I had to go to CMEK, I had back problems, there was no longer a reason. Why? So they fired me for illness. I paid compensation, I closed my case. I did not degrade the officer’s name. So I got out, I didn’t want to rub myself on that fire station anymore. Why throw rubber? “- 15 minutes explained A. Cernius.

He admitted that he wanted to be a firefighter from an early age, dreaming of such a job since he was eight years old.

“When I was working at the fire station, nobody complained. I would have worked that job for nothing because I wanted to. How much did I earn? Maybe around 700-800 euros. That salary was not very relevant. It is simply a job that I enjoyed working on. It was a shame to lose, but what are you going to do? 15 minutes after the sentence A.Cernius spoke.

After being fired, he decided to retrain – he entered to study renewable engineering, currently working in construction: building fences and gates. There is no shortage of work, he says. The sublease of the premises continues a bit.

“I felt so small that I was neither hung nor released. Until there was no sentence, you did not want to do anything serious, because after that you may have to leave everything, all your black work will disappear. Now it will be possible to start working in construction in earnest. Now I am an employee of the company. I work and both. It will be seen. Everything has to lie down ”, he assured.