BRATISLAVA, June 1, (WEBNOVINY) — The old wiretapping system currently used by government agencies and secret services in Slovakia will not be modernized further. Instead, according to Prime Minister Iveta Radicova, a completely new one will be acquired. “There is no use upgrading thirteen-year-old equipment,” said Radicova this Wednesday, adding that if a wiretapping system is to be functional and meaningful, it should be capable of responding to the newest technologies. “We’ll show preference for a completely new system for both the Interior Ministry and the Slovak intelligence service SIS, maintaining the layout as it has been until now,” said Radicova. She explained that optional cross-checking of these institutions will be an important part of the new system, so that no unnecessary suspicions, doubts, or anything similar arise. “A tender […] for a brand new system, which will fulfill the conditions of both institutions, will be called,” said Radicova, according to whom the interior minister and SIS director both agreed to the cross-checking agreement.
Radicova said that the contract for modernizing the current system that the Interior Ministry signed recently will be canceled. According to information presented by media, on the basis of this contract, the input for both Interior Ministry and the SIS should be separated after years. “For me it is important that the system not be subject to misuse and that the police have effective tools to uncover the most serious crimes. The fact that in some 15 years there were many suspicions of illegal wiretapping but no one has been punished is proof that the present system needs more transparency,” said Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic. He thinks that we need a system that would make possible detecting eventual illegal wiretappers and a more effective fight against organized crime.
Lipsic claimed he would never be pushed into illegal solutions. “According to the law on eavesdropping, this is done by the Police Corps and by SIS. SIS has no control over the Police Corps,” said the minister, according to whom the law would have to be changed to allow this. Lipsic is not in favor of creating a wiretapping authority, as he does not consider increasing the number of people dealing with wiretapping, increasing the risk of information leaks, a good idea. He would prefer the responsible parliamentary committee to allow two of its members with security clearance, one from the coalition and one from the opposition, to have access to live input.
Defense Minister Lubomir Galko said that his party, the SaS, raised an objection to the originally planed modernization. They questioned the need for such expensive improvements. “We think it was not sufficiently explained why purchasing such an expensive upgrade was necessary,” he explained. Galko added that his department had no problem with the originally planned solution, as it would change nothing for them, as they do all wiretapping through the police.
SITA