Professor on the president’s decision on Linkevičius and Karoblis: I don’t remember that practice

According to Professor Tomas Janeliūnas of the Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Science (VU TSPMI), the essential idea of ​​the president is understandable, but according to him, the above argument applies illogically to the cases of former ministers.

“On the one hand, there is such a political desire not to abuse the opportunity to assume positions at the end of political positions or mandates in areas that seemed to be subordinate to ministries or other positions previously supervised or headed, but in my opinion this is from somehow illogical and inconsistent. “- Delphi said prof. T. Janeliūnas.

He pointed out that in this case the period of the so-called political cooling and the legal status is not clearly defined. Contrary to what is in the public function.

In this way, it becomes a very subjective political choice when and to whom to apply it. It is regulated when positions cannot be held in state companies, there the order is more or less clear, but with regard to judges and diplomats, the situation here is very different ”, said the VU TSPMI professor.

Former Interior Minister Eimutis Misiūnas, who wanted to return to work as a judge, also received negative conclusions from the Presidency regarding his subsequent career.

According to T. Janeliūnas, both the judging and diplomatic professions have their own special laws governing the protection of employees and the possibility of returning to their posts after working in political positions.

“Here, the different perception of political cooling that has arisen here can even intersect with legal regulation, since we now regulate those professions by law. I would say that perhaps at first it was necessary to make some changes in the law, to define it very clearly. so that it was not subjective and applied equally to everyone. Now it turns out that this is an almost personal condition that lacks justification, at least formal, in my eyes, “said the political scientist.

L. Linkevičius participated in the last elections to the Seimas; he ran in the Lithuanian single-member constituency of the world, representing the Lithuanian Social Democratic Labor Party.

However, T. Janeliūnas stated that this does not change the situation.

“If we talk about the condition of political cooling, such as active political participation or party activity, we could say that yes, there are differences, but so far it is not even very clear what falls into that category of political cooling,” he reiterated. Professor at the VU TSPMI.

According to him, both R. Karoblis and L. Linkevičius already had diplomatic status, clear qualifications and experience before holding ministerial positions.

“It is not a jump to a position so superior to the one they had before a period of political career. It is simply a return to positions that match your qualifications. There is really, I think, no attempt to take advantage of some of the privileges of being in a ministerial position or being in party structures. This is probably not an abuse of political influence, which is apparently being avoided, ”continued T. Janeliūnas.

Asked if he remembers similar cases during previous presidential terms, the professor said that he did not remember the professional careers closed to former ministers, although they had the necessary skills and qualifications to do so.

“As far as ministers are concerned, I do not remember this practice. He has been a former adviser to the president – Walter Baliukonis ‘appointment as ambassador (in Spain – aut.p.) has been suspended. He was an adviser in Valdas Adamkus’ team and Dalia Grybauskaitė suspended the appointment, simply responding very personally that she could not appoint that person as an ambassador because she knew how well they worked. In this way, although she could, hypothetically, based on her qualifications or experience, perhaps she could have continued her career in the diplomatic service at the highest level, this was precisely prevented by a decision of the President. This may be one of the most shocking episodes, but again, it is not at the ministerial level, he was the adviser to the president and it is almost impossible to be comparable “added T. Janeliūnas.

Delfi recalls that L. Linkevičius was considered one of the most realistic candidates for the position of Ambassador of Lithuania to the United States, and R. Karoblis, for the position of Ambassador of Lithuania to the EU. The lrytas.lt portal was the first to announce the refusal of President G. Nausėda to appoint former ministers as ambassadors.

When asked to justify his decision, the head of state explained that a pause was needed to depoliticize the diplomatic service.

“At the moment, I do not see an opportunity for these recent ministers to serve as ambassadors in the aforementioned countries for a very simple reason: due to the necessary political cooling,” Nausėda told a press conference on Friday.

“If we really want to depoliticize the diplomatic service not with words, but with our actions and actions, then we should apply that period of political cooling,” he said.

However, the president assured that he has no objections to the work of the former ministers.

In the near future, L. Linkevičius and R. Karoblis will serve as Ambassadors for Special Assignments in the European Union Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For his part, former Interior Minister E. Misiūnas announced the message received from the Presidency on Monday night on the social network.

“More than a month and a half after the day I requested the reinstatement of my status as a former judge, I received a message from the Legal Group of the Presidency of the Republic of Lithuania that they would not appoint me to the previous position of a judge. he argues that he was involved in politics and did not comply with the principle of “political neutrality,” the former minister wrote.

He stressed that he had never participated in activities of any party, but had participated in elections as an independent person.

E. Misiūnas is considering defending the right to return to the post of judge in court

Former Interior Minister E. Misiūnas, after having received a negative response from the Presidency on the request for reinstatement of his status as judge, says that he is considering going to court and defending his right to occupy his previous position.

The presidency maintains that the former Minister of the Interior and the Vice Minister of National Defense cannot be reinstated as judges because they do not comply with the “principle of political neutrality.”

BNS E. Misiūnas stated that it had requested the reinstatement of the judges to the Presidency a month and a half ago, but had not received a formal written response so far.

According to E. Misiūnas, Jūratė Šovienė, the head of the President’s Legal Group, informed him by phone that the status of judge would not be restored due to the criterion of political neutrality.

“First of all, I will definitely demand a written response, because we have grown from the telephone law as a state and the Presidency as an institution. Then I will see how the arguments are articulated, because those concepts of legal neutrality are not enshrined in our law, nor in the Constitution, nor in the Law of Public Function or Courts, nor in the statutes, ”he said.

“I will have the right to decide whether to appeal against such an approach, such an opinion of the Presidency. Because the Law of Courts makes it clear that a judge is not appointed only if he is not suitable for reasons of reputation. And my reputation is of the highest level, I have not had the slightest shadow of being a minister and vice minister (…) If a precedent is set, let the courts establish a precedent. I really do not rule out the possibility of going to court, “said E. Misiūnas.

He stresses that he has never been a member of any political party, he participated in the Seimas elections not with “peasants” who had previously been appointed to political office, but independently.

In addition, he seeks to return to the Vilnius District Court, and in the district courts, according to him, “90 percent. The cases are robberies, violence, robberies ”, that is, they have nothing to do with possible political interests, and the judge always has the opportunity to withdraw or be dismissed.

“By that legal order, if the Supreme Court of Lithuania is formed, or perhaps even the Constitutional Court in this case, we will see,” he added.

The presidency informed the SNB that it could not comment on a “private appeal”, but pointed out that former judges who turned to politics and later wanted to return to their work as judges did not comply with the “principle of political neutrality.”

“People who have interrupted the career of a judge due to their political participation or appointment to political office and seek to reinstate them have lost their political office do not meet the above criteria,” the SNB said in a presidential response.

E. Misiūnas headed the Ministry of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis from December 2016 to the summer of 2019, but after the renewal of the ruling coalition, Rita Tamašunienė, representative of the Polish electoral campaign of Lithuania – Union of Christian Families, took over.

In October 2019, E. Misiūnas became Deputy Minister of National Defense, before that month he worked as an advisor to Minister Raimundas Karoblis.

Before becoming a minister, E. Misiūnas worked as a judge at the Vilnius District Court for a year.

Before becoming a judge, E. Misiūnas worked in the Special Investigation Service and taught at the then Police Academy.