Bruveris. Even the constitutional bastion has gaps

If bickering has erupted even in the Constitutional Court seers’ lodge, what can you want from state institutions or even politicians in different camps? One can only shrug while watching what is happening on the country’s judicial pinnacle – the Constitutional Court (KT).

A group of staff within the KT, including one or even several judges, have released a letter-call for help to all the top institutions – the Seimas, cabinet, National Court Administration, Labour Inspection. They are complaining about D. Grybauskaitė’s favoured interim KT chief D. Žalimas, how he has taken them hostage – holding them under lock and key in their workplace even after the lockdown and does not release them for holidays. To put it more precisely – not only has he not made a schedule on who and when will rest this summer, but he even boasts in the vast plains of Facebok that the KT will work this summer and only select individuals will go on holiday.

Cry for help

Describing such suffering of their own and their family members due to such oppression by D. Žalimas, KT staff and judges are calling for help from politicians and the labour inspectors.

If this wasn’t enough, it turned out that some KT judges, other than their direct duties to safeguard the Constitution, also find time for commercial activities. It turns out that for a fee, they offer to lead various qualification raising seminars and lectures. Meanwhile, KT veterans testify that such practices have been prevalent in the court since long ago, even if it seemingly should be clear that the experience of those ruling on the Constitution could help the new generations of the judicial branch.

It is clear to see that these murky waters are an outbreak of old internal bickering within the KT itself between D. Žalimas and his colleagues. As of late, this friction has been further exacerbated by politicians who made the court into an exercise ground for their intrigues.

First of all the ruling coalition by rejecting nominations for KT judge because they sought to teach D. Žalimas and President G. Nausėda a lesson and insert someone of their own into the court.

But what will happen to the Constitutional Court this summer if its interim chief wants to work, its interim chancellor is silent and the staff are keen to go on holiday? There is a solution. Everyone in disagreement can gather in the Lukiškės Square beach, which you can find just a few steps away, and cool off in the spray of the fountains there.