“I refused that casting”: A. Anušauskas admitted that he received an unexpected offer from I. Šimonytė

The minister told reporters on Friday that he had received an offer from the prime minister to resign from the position of minister and take the position of chairman of the Seimas National Security and Defense Committee (NSGK).

This committee is also headed by conservative Laurynas Kasčiūnas.

“Yesterday, at the end of the working day, I received the prime minister’s proposal to give up the position of Minister of National Defense to another politician and take the position of chairman of his committee in the Seimas myself. No complaints were made to me regarding any unimplemented items of the Government’s program. It was an unexpected offer. I refused that appointment”, emphasized A. Anušauskas.

“However, after asking the prime minister if she really wants me to resign, and after receiving such confirmation and the offer to do so from next week, realizing that in this difficult period, the further work of the Ministry of National Defense and the strengthening of the army, without diminishing threats, require the political support of the prime minister , I wrote a resignation letter and handed it over to the Prime Minister’s office,” he said.

The minister said this after a meeting with President G. Nausėda that lasted a little more than half an hour on Saturday.

According to A. Anušauskas, without the support of Prime Minister I. Šimonytė, it would only be wasted time “solving problems”.

A. Anušauskas also said that he did not feel that he had made mistakes that could have led to the prime minister’s offer for him to resign.

At the end of his speech, the minister said that “society does not need institutional fights, not obsessive chatter about geopolitics of the end of the world, but real actions to strengthen the defense power of our state, the same army.”

“I asked”

When asked if President G. Nausėda agrees with his resignation, he replied: “I asked.”

His chief advisor for national security, Kęstutis Budrys, did not reveal what the president’s position is either.

“The president emphasized the need to ensure the functionality of the national defense system and the continuity of ongoing works, their speed,” K. Budrys told reporters.

VIDEO: G. Nausėda about Šimonytė’s decision regarding the minister: The emotional instability that has afflicted the government is worrying

Pauliaus Peleckios/BNS photo/Kęstutis Budrys and Arvydas Anušauskas

He emphasized that “all future decisions” will be made next week after the meeting with Prime Minister I. Šimonyte.

The Presidency has not yet received Prime Minister I.Šimonytė’s official application regarding the minister’s dismissal, that is 15min confirmed the representative of the president, Frederik Janson.

What did the prime minister not like?

On Saturday morning, after a wave of criticism due to chaotic communication, I. Šimonytė spoke out for the resignation of A. Anušauskas.

“This is not related to any sudden change in the national security situation of Lithuania, changed threats or any negative news about the activities of the ministry. Rather, it is related to the expectation of the Government to do even more and faster during the remaining term of office than has been done so far, so that Lithuania feels safe”, the Head of the Government wrote on Facebook.

“A lot has been done, but the remaining nine months is not a short time, and this session of the Seimas is extremely important for making decisions that require maximum involvement,” she added.

In her post, the Prime Minister did not mention the offer to A. Anušauskas to take the position of NSGK chairman in exchange for the minister’s portfolio.

Mysterious companies

Commenting on the reasons for his departure, the Minister of National Defense also mentioned that during his tenure he “slammed the door” on companies that tried to influence employees of the national defense system with bribes, but later those companies “found an open door to other politicians”.

“I came to the national defense with an additional anti-corruption agenda (…) Yes, I had to slam the door on companies that tried to bribe national defense workers with illegal remuneration, but they found an open door to other politicians, and the Ministry of National Defense received letters and proposals from politicians more to talk“, said A. Anušauskas.

He claimed that he informed the Special Investigation Service (STT) of some cases of “particularly gross interference in public procurement” and that some tenders were simply terminated “because of inflated prices”.

According to A. Anušauskas, the prime minister supported his anti-corruption policy. He did not answer which companies offered bribes to employees of the national defense system.