“This afternoon, General Rustam Liubayev personally informed me that after evaluating all circumstances and not wanting to harm the reputation and prestige of the State Border Guard Service, he decided to resign from the position of head of VSAT,” said the minister.
Read more Klaipėda University Hospital is still in trouble, administration goes on unpaid leave
“I respect his decision and consider it a responsible step in the current situation. In the near future, I will submit a draft resolution to the Government regarding the dismissal of Rustam Liubayev from his position,” he added.
M. Katelynas also recalled R. Liubayev’s merits and the recently reported incident at the border, when migrants resisted border guards and the political leadership was not informed about it.
“Rustam Liubayev served in the Lithuanian state border protection system for more than three decades and has led it since 2019. During his leadership, the service had to withstand the hybrid migration attack caused by the Belarusian regime, strengthen the protection of Lithuania’s and the entire European Union’s external border, and operate under conditions of exceptional geopolitical influence. Rustam Liubayev’s experience, professionalism, and ability to unite the service during these difficult times were significant for our country’s security,” said M. Katelynas.
“Institutions responsible for state border protection require complete trust from officers, the public, and political leadership. After the incident at the border, serious questions arose not only about whether the information was provided timely, accurately, and comprehensively, but also about the circumstances of the incident itself. The leader’s responsibility covers both these aspects. I sincerely thank Rustam Liubayev for his many years of service to the Lithuanian state, his contribution to protecting the country’s border, and his leadership of the service during the most challenging crises,” he said.
The minister also admitted he did not expect R. Liubayev, who still had three years left in his term, to resign from his position.
Attempts to contact R. Liubayev himself on Monday by 15min were unsuccessful – he did not answer calls.
The Internal Service statute provides that the heads of central statutory institutions are appointed and dismissed by the Government for 5 years upon the minister’s proposal.
Silenced scandal
The reason for his dismissal was a silenced scandal at the border, which was reported at the beginning of August by the news portal delfi.lt.
According to it, a group of migrants who dug a tunnel into Lithuania near Kapčiamiestis attacked border guards, who had to flee.
Last week, lrytas.lt also reported another detail – allegedly, migrants tried to drag one of the border guards into Belarus, and he was injured.
However, the General Prosecutor’s Office reported that it had questioned all participants in the incident and said it had no information about the officer’s injury.
Last Friday, M. Katelynas stated that if information about an injured border guard were confirmed, he would see no possibility for R. Liubayev to remain in office.
Read more Closer «Opel» cooperation with the Chinese raises concerns for the hometown
