Silent scandal: then-Prime Minister Skvernel’s protection strengthened after death threats

The SAD guards also informed S. Skvernelis that the attack could be carried out, this information was also known to his adviser Tomas Beržinskas at the time.

And this became clear only now that the Vilnius City District Court was examining a criminal case against an emigrant living in Northern Ireland: Darius Barčauskas, a resident of Kaunas County, who had not been convicted but was well known. by VAD security guards, he had been convicted of threatening to kill S. Skvernelis.

According to the file, it was established that on May 15 and June 10 of the previous year. D. Barčauskas, who lives in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, wrote two messages to S. Skvernelis, being intoxicated with alcohol, using the chat application of the social network Facebook Messenger.

In these messages, the politician was not only abused, but also threatened – Delphi presents the messages written by D. Barčauskas, his language is not corrected: “They will definitely put you in his place. Remember this, you have little left to live. Remember where you covered your feet. Your suffering will be long, I swear! ”; “I swear you will answer for the whole town. You will cry for all the deaths, not for your family !!!!”; “He will probably have to give his pedophile children to play with, because otherwise he will not understand anything for himself. Remember, be careful, because there will be a lesson !!!!!!!! Otherwise, it is not possible to agree with you, I swear, by the girl of Jurbarkas, you will suffer for all the children. A GUIDE FOR EVERYONE !!!!

According to the prosecutors who carried out the pre-trial investigation, D. Barčauskas, in his written messages, provoked “sufficient reason to believe that the threats could be carried out, so the SAD took the appropriate measures”.

This was not the first message the emigrant had sent to S. Skvernelis; VAD officials had even contacted D. Barčauskas and warned him of the mistreatment, and a personality assessment had been carried out on the man who had written the secret messages.

Officials from the SAD Criminal Intelligence Board told law enforcement that D. Barčauskas is acquainted with them “due to a communication of concern.” According to the representatives of the department, D. Barčauskas, who expressed the threat of death and violence, has already had experience of violent behavior – a few years ago, his partner applied to the police for domestic violence.

The officials were convinced that D. Barčauskas could persevere in his goal, because it was discovered that he lacked critical thinking: when on May 15. the man sent threatening messages, VAD officials held a preventive conversation with him, but less than a month later, the man resumed a communication of concern with S. Skvernel.

Furthermore, VAD officials pointed out that D. Barčauskas had been repeatedly recorded under the influence of alcohol, and that threatening messages could be written under the influence of stress due to the loss of loved ones; in a message he wrote that he had lost an aunt. her doctors did not treat: (uncorrected language) “My aunt died of cancer because she was not given chemotherapy. They treated you without queuing and ordinary people died through your crown. I swear you will answer for this in front of all the people. You will cry for all deaths, not for your family !!!! ”.

Law enforcement officials who issued the statement to law enforcement said the risk factors identified for D. Barčauskas “are of great concern and indicate a greater likelihood that the communication of concern will continue and may escalate to a destructive behavior towards people protected by SAD or other members of society “.

“In Europe, politicians and other public figures are often the target of violent attacks by individuals,” SAD told police. – Before committing acts of violence, people often say that they intend to attack or that they are at risk of violent behavior. Mr. Barcauskas’s messages and speeches are a typical example of worrying behavior. “

At that time, D. Barčauskas assured that although he had written messages to the then Prime Minister, he swore that he would not have carried out his threats.

“I don’t know why I wrote those messages, there was no purpose, no motive, I was nervous, maybe I was drunk and maybe I wanted to vent my anger,” said D. Barčauskas who did not know S Skvernelis personally. – I don’t know why I wrote to you – I admit I wrote threatening messages, but I can’t answer why. Maybe the quarantine affected me at the time, I don’t know, but I didn’t really intend to realize or comply with my threats, I don’t deal with those things in my life. I was writing at a time when I was going through a difficult time due to the death of family members, and the Jurbarkas girl I mentioned is personally familiar to me: she is my friend’s daughter. Then I cry because no one took action to punish the perpetrator. Of course, alcohol also affected me. I don’t have any more explanations, just that I’m very sorry. “

During the pre-trial investigation, officials also questioned then-Prime Minister S. Skvernel, who was recognized as a victim in a criminal case.

During the interview, the Prime Minister explained that the Facebook account in his name is “more managed” by his adviser T. Beržinskas: issues that concern me. “

Skvernel said he learned from VAD officials that threatening messages had been sent.

“I was informed of a potential danger to my life or the health of my family members,” Skvernelis said. – When I asked them why they thought I should be concerned about my safety, they informed me that D. Barčauskas, a person in the Messenger program of my Facebook account, is already showing up repeatedly, sending messages of threatening content. I read the messages in my workplace, their content really impressed me, I really felt uncomfortable and also unsafe, both for me and especially for my children ”.

S. Skvernelis did not hide that, due to his position, he realized that there may be people who oppose him, from whom he may receive various kinds of responses, comments, messages, but he is not always ready to react to them. .

“But these messages, and especially knowing that they are already repetitive, really worried me,” Skvernelis admitted. “Although I do not know that person personally and have not had any personal issues, it is clear that the person is hostile and aggressive towards me, and maybe even my family, so I feel that those threats can come true.”

The then Prime Minister stated that although he is protected by VAD officials, he is constantly scared and stressed by his family due to the actions of D. Barčauskas.

“D. I understand the threats from Barcauskas as real and I really do not rule out the possibility that they come true or at least try to carry them out, they really feel insecure about their own life and that of their family or their health,” said the then Prime Minister. .

At the time, his former public relations adviser T. Beržinskas told officials that he had informed SAD staff, not S. Skvernelis, about the messages sent by D. Barčauskas, because the direct role of the SAD was to take care of the protection and security of the Prime Minister.

According to T. Beržinskas, after VAD officials held a preventive interview with D. Barčauskas, he later wrote a message of apology to S. Skvernelis. But less than a month later, he began threatening again.

“S. Skvernelis receives various reports, but it can be said that these, received from D. Barčauskas, are so exceptional that they expressed concern for the safety of his family and children; The messages really sounded ugly, you can see the direct threats , and whether they are real or not – I cannot judge, because given S. Skvernel’s obligations, the nature of the work – any message or statement with threatening content can be accepted as a real threat that can be fulfilled ”, said T. Beržinskas .

According to him, although “S. It must be said that Skvernell is used to ugly or obscene comments, comments about him as a politician, but these, received from D. Barčauskas, exceeded all the allowed limits and really raised concerns about the safety of S. Skvernelis or his family members possibly imminent danger to his life or health. “

The former adviser also had no doubt that the threats actually made Skvernel feel like a potential threat to his life and health, and that was exactly what the emigrant was writing about.

The judge of the Vilnius City District Court, Inga Štuopieninó, who examined the criminal case against D. Barčauskas, noted that the court had no doubts about the guilt of the accused.

“D. Barčauskas exposed the threats” they will put you in your place “, which in the jargon means murder,” there is little left to live “,” your suffering will be long “and these threats correspond to the objective characteristics of the crime specified in criminal law , said the judge. “The threats received were directed to the Prime Minister, one of the highest heads of State and protected by the State, and the threats were sent to his personal communication account and addressed to him personally, but in relation to his current functions “.

According to I. Štuopienė, as is clear from the information established by the SAD, D. Barčauskas has experience of violent behavior, self-control problems, harmful habits, personal grievances directed at the threatened person, so there is reason to believe for him to try carry out your threats.

“The threats made at the prosecution were real and provided sufficient grounds for Skvernel to fear for his life or health, and these circumstances were understandable to the defendants,” the court noted.

In sentencing Mr Barčauskas, the judge found that he had confessed to having committed a crime and sincerely regretted it, but he committed the crime while intoxicated, which influenced the commission of the crime.

“Taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the general reasons for imposing a penalty provided by law, the degree of dangerousness of the crime, the form and type of guilt, the motives and objectives of the crime, the personality of the accused, mitigating circumstances and aggravating circumstances, the court concludes that it will be achieved if the defendant D. Barčauskas is fined by the prosecutor ”, – the court imposed a fine of 60 MGL on the convicted person, but since the case was closed by a criminal order, D was sentenced Barčauskas to pay a fine of 40 MGL (2,000 euros) to the state budget.

The convicted person must pay this fine within two months. S. Skvernelis, who was recognized as a victim, had not filed a civil claim for moral damages.