There were 81 members of the Seimas in favor of the appointment of N. Statkaus as the controller of the newly created intelligence ombudsman institution during a secret vote, 19 were against and 13 MPs abstained, two ballots were found to be invalid.
Conservative Valdas Rakutis, representative of the National Security and Defense Committee of the Seimas, said that the person appointed as intelligence controller must have experience working in intelligence institutions, otherwise he will not have their trust.
“The intelligence community cannot trust someone who has never worked in a similar institution. A person must be creative and deeply aware of what he is doing, because he will have to create this institution, it does not exist yet”, said V. Rakutis for his candidacy.
He also said that it must be a sympathetic, sensitive person, and although there cannot be a candidacy that suits everyone, “N. Stankus is the person who best meets these criteria.”
There were no people against the candidacy, although the representative of the Labor Party, which previously approved the agenda, Vytautas Gapšys suggested postponing the vote, because he said that he did not hear a clear plan from the candidate on how to create a new intelligence ombudsman institution.
The head of the parliament, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielse, proposed the appointment of N. Statkai as the intelligence controller. The Speaker of the Seimas notes that this is one of the most significant appointments, as a new service is being created, which must strengthen the protection of human rights and freedoms in Lithuania.
During his presentation to the Seimas last week, the candidate said that the activities of intelligence institutions cannot be fully known to the public, and therefore a different oversight mechanism than public responsibility is needed.
N. Statkus noted that the intelligence ombudsman institution, which has this function, will be able to act only if it has the trust of the public, politicians and intelligence institutions.
Currently, N.Statkus works as the chief advisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He is a former adviser to the office of the Seimas National Security and Defense Committee, worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Security Department, and headed the General Jonas Žemaitis Science Center of the Lithuanian Military Academy for several years.
By education, the candidate is a historian, graduated from Vilnius University and Central European University in Budapest. He obtained a master’s degree in Slavic studies and East European studies at the University of London, a doctoral degree in the field of social sciences, political science at Vilnius University, and taught at the Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences of Vilnius University.
In 2021, the Seimas adopted a law on the establishment of the Intelligence Controller Institute. According to the law, two intelligence inspectors should have started working from July 2022, but for various reasons, their candidacies were not submitted to the Seimas.
V. Čmilytė-Nielsen confirms that she has a candidate for the second position of intelligence controller. His candidacy is to be submitted after the appointment of N. Statkai.
The Seimas appoints two intelligence inspectors for a five-year term at the recommendation of the Speaker of the Seimas, after consideration of the nominations by the Seimas Committee performing parliamentary control of intelligence institutions and the Seimas Committee responsible for ensuring human rights and freedoms.
The opposition of the Seimas appealed to the Constitutional Court regarding the intelligence inspectors, but it did not see a contradiction with the main law of the country. The parliamentarians asked to evaluate whether the institute of the intelligence controller does not limit the right and duty of the Seimas controllers to investigate complaints about abuse or bureaucracy by state and municipal officials.
The Office of Intelligence Controllers will carry out continuous supervision of the legality of the activities of intelligence institutions – the Department of State Security and the Second Department of Operational Services.