At the wheel, a drunk Vilnius judge was severely reprimanded

“The court concludes that the violations committed by Judge M. Striaukas are exceptional, the judge has not been disciplined before. The documents presented in the case show that the judge had many years of work experience as a judge, his professional skills and personal qualities are evaluated only positively, ”said honorary journalist Rita Miliūtė.

“The judge has fully recognized the misconduct, is self-critical of his actions, understands the negative nature of his actions, sincerely regrets, survives, and apologizes for the violations,” the court ruling said.

It was also noted that the Court of Honor of Judges has no reason to believe that M. Striaukas is inclined to abuse alcohol.

Previously, M. Striaukas was also subject to an administrative sanction, a fine of 800 euros, and the deprivation of a special right (right to drive vehicles) for 6 months, a prohibition on driving vehicles without blockages of alcoholic engines for 12 months.

R. Miliūtė stated that various possibilities of punishment were considered when making the decision, not all members had the same opinion, but the final decision is the common position of the court.

“It just caught our eye then. The court considered several circumstances, not just one possibility,” he told reporters.

Judge M. Striaukas told reporters that he had accepted any court decision, but stressed that the decision on his future would still have to be made by the Council of Judges.

“Today’s decision does not mean that I will continue to be a judge. It will still be decided by the Council of Judges and to this day all I have heard is that someone has heard that there are people, there are judges and there are many circumstances, many qualities, a lot of things that really need to be considered, despite the fact that I admit that I was really tough. Violation of the law, but it’s not a crime, it’s not a violation in a criminal sense, “said the judge.

“Inspired by colleagues, I want to say that we expect the practice to change,” he added.

“I really accepted any consequence and now I am waiting for it, whatever it may be, but I really received great support from my colleagues and a willingness to listen, to understand that we as judges are also greatly abused,” Striaukas said. .

Speaking about the disciplinary sanction imposed on him, he said this will have significant consequences if he continues to work as a judge.

“It is not the most severe, but it is the second most severe and it has great consequences for me … It means that I cannot make a career either, and any minimal violation of the discipline will mean my dismissal,” Striauk said.

He also stated that he did not intend to appeal this decision, but noted that within ten days appeals to the Lithuanian Supreme Court could be brought both by the Vilnius District Court Administration and by the Ethics and Judicial Discipline Commission.

M. Striaukas was detained by police behind the wheel of a car on the morning of May 19, at approximately 7.40 in the morning, in Vilnius.

Then it was assigned a power of 0.61 per thousand. According to the police, the judge did not commit any crime, he was only detained for inspection.

Following this incident, President Gitanas Nausėda sought advice from the Council of Judges to release M. Striaukas from the post of judge, but the council postponed the issue until the decision of the Judges’ Honor Court on this matter was received.

At the Council of Judges meeting, M. Striaukas also received support, and many members expressed doubts that his dismissal would be too severe and too early a penalty.

M. Striaukas did not deny having consumed alcohol the day before both in the Council of Judges and in the Court of Honor of Judges. He fully acknowledged his guilt, regretted and repeatedly said that he assumed full responsibility for his actions and realized that the responsibility could be the most severe, that is, the dismissal.