Prime Minister Butkevicius calls for removal of Vice Minister Vytautas Vigelis

  • 2015-07-27
  • From wire reports and TBT staff, VILNIUS

Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius says he has given Labour Party MP and Culture Minister, Sarunas Birutis, a week to sack Vice-Minister Vytautas Vigelis who was appointed to the post without Butkevicius’ consent. 

Should he not dismiss Vigelis, Birutis may lose his job.

"He [Birutis] has to dismiss the Vice-Minister this week," the prime minister told journalists in Vilnius on July 27, 2015.

Asked whether failure to sack Vigelis would mean that Birutis would be dismissed from the Culture Ministry, as the case was with former energy minister Jaroslav Neverovic, Butkevicius replied: “the same rules apply to everyone."

The prime minister said Vigelis was unsuitable for the post due to faulty moral criteria.

Vigelis was appointed as culture vice-minister on July 2, replacing Agneta Lobacevskyte who was designated as an equal opportunities ombudsman.

In 2011, Vigils was asked to leave a flight in Warsaw after being suspected of drunkenness. 

Ethics watchdogs have also accused him of confusing public and private interests.

Both Birutis and Vigelis were delegated to the ministry by the Labour Party.