BRATISLAVA, December 12, (WEBNOVINY) – Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic (KDH) suggests making public the decisions of the investigator as well as Special Prosecutor Dusan Kovacik regarding the case of SMER-SD funding. “If Mr. special prosecutor claims that his decision was misinterpreted or badly commented, let him make it public so that people can make an opinion for themselves,” Lipsic stated on air of the public-service Slovak Television (STV) on Sunday noon. He thus reacted to allegations of Prosecutor General Dobroslav Trnka who told Wednesday’s news conference that the investigator of the case had been pressured by the Interior Ministry. In the political debate program, Lipsic read the investigator’s statement, in which she denied being pressured. She also said in the statement that the criminal motion regarding SMER-SD funding requires an expert opinion of the contract, which according to information in the media was to secure places on the election candidate of the party for its patrons.
In addition to the contract, the investigators had in their hands a recording of a voice similar to that of SMER-SD leader Robert Fico, talking about unofficial money for the party. If Fico maintains that the recording is not authentic, he should support an independent and expert examination of the recording as well as the contract. “With such approach, Mr. Chairman Fico had a chance to place himself among decent politicians,” Lipsic commented, adding that instead, Fico started threatening investigators. The minister went on to say that it is important that the police and prosecution do not fear to deal with cases involving wealthy and influential people. According to him, it is not accidental that Fico presented his allegations a day after the failed election of new prosecutor general, when “it turned out that maybe Mr. Trnka would not become the prosecutor general again”. Lipsic reminded that the prosecutor general has broad powers. “It is therefore important that a person who is firm and will not sweep things under the carpet is on the post,” Lipsic stated.
Dobroslav Trnka, Slovakia’s Prosecutor General, said on Wednesday that the investigator dealing with the case of a wiretap of voice similar to the voice of opposition SMER-SD chairman Robert Fico, was under pressure. Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic and Police President Jaroslav Spisiak rejected the allegations.
Shortly before the parliamentary election in June, the SME daily published an audio recording showing that secret donors probably poured at least 75 million Slovak crowns into the Smer-SD party several years ago, bypassing the official accounts.
SITA