Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico wants to close the corruption prosecutor’s office and the final vote on closing the special prosecutor’s office is expected to take place next week. Critics say Fico wants to protect his supporters from investigations, and large demonstrations have taken place in Bratislava.
Relations between Slovakia and the European Union (EU) are becoming increasingly tense. Fico, who returned to office at the end of October 2023, immediately announced that his government would suspend military aid to Ukraine.
Now Brussels is still worried that Slovakia could deviate from the rules of the rule of law. Already in December the government led by Fico had approved an amendment to the penal code which closes the special prosecutor’s office dealing with corruption. The move was criticized by both Brussels and Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová.
Fico said in December that he would close the prosecutor’s office because his boss, Daniel Lipšic, was not fighting corruption, but rather spreading “evil”.
Fico’s plan still needs parliamentary approval, but the three-party governing coalition has a majority in parliament. The vote is expected to take place next week, the Financial Times reported.
Slovakia’s liberal opposition now accuses Fico of weakening the justice system. The European Commission has announced that it is ready to launch an investigation. Demonstrations against the Fico plan also took place in Slovakia: on Thursday around 30,000 people took to the streets in Bratislava.
Fico justifies the dissolution of the special prosecutor’s office with the desire to protect human rights, but critics argue that he wants to save his supporters from investigations. Caputova had previously vowed to veto the Fico government’s plan to end the special corruption prosecution in January. Since parliament has the right to override the president’s veto with a simple majority, the dispute will likely end up in the Constitutional Court.
Fico was also prime minister of Slovakia, but had to resign in 2018 due to protests. After leaving office, Fico continued his political activity. He has also led demonstrations due to coronavirus restrictions.
2024-01-26 12:03:00
despite-the-criticism-fico-goes-ahead-with-the-closure-of-the-special-prosecutors-office-in-a-foreign-country