In the latest round of the fight to oust the Director of the State Security Department Arvydas Pocius, President Valdas Adamkus signed a decree on May 5 asking Parliament for a second time to approve Pocius' dismissal.
Pocius had officially resigned last December after a months-long investigation conducted by the parliamentary National Defense and Security Committee concluded that he was unfit to head the department.
However, in the March 15 parliamentary vote on his dismissal, lawmakers decided to keep him in place after he made dramatic accusations of security leaks and KGB involvement against the head of the Director of the Special Investigations Service Povilas Malakauskas.
Malakauskas headed the investigation against Pocius, and was the President's choice for Pocius' replacement.
When the president's degree was overruled, he cancelled his motion to approve Malakauskas as a candidate for the new director of the SSD.
The SSD director is appointed and dismissed by the president's with the consent of Parliament.
In mid-April, Parliament asked Adamkus to re-submit his decree on Pocius's dismissal.
Parliament also last month passed a law widening a ban on holding public service positions to include former KGB reservists, a move widely seen as aimed at getting rid of Pocius, but on April 27 the president vetoed the measure.
Currently the president is looking for a new candidate for the SSD director's position. On May 5, Adamkus told the media that he intends to meet with the potential nominees, which also possibly include Brigade General Algis Vaiceliunas, on Wednesday.
