NOSSpecial Prosecutor Daniel Lipšic
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 22:27
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Charlotte Waaijers
correspondent Central Europe
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Charlotte Waaijers
correspondent Central Europe
The new government in Slovakia has only just taken office, but it is already showing clearly where it wants to go: the anti-corruption department of the public prosecutor’s office must quickly close its doors. Penalties for corruption should also be reduced and cases should expire more quickly.
Newly appointed Prime Minister Fico does not call the prosecutors in his country independent. He states that they are conducting a witch hunt against his government. They would be led by a former political opponent of Fico, Daniel Lipšic. He was minister of justice and is currently special prosecutor. According to Fico, Lipšic “bears full responsibility for the massive manipulation of criminal proceedings for political reasons.”
‘Fear and revenge’
The special prosecutor himself says that the prime minister has another motive. “There is a great urge to delay or suspend cases against influential people. And that comes from fear and revenge,” Lipšic said in conversation with NOS.
Because in addition to oligarchs and politicians from other parties, it is also politicians from Fico’s party (Smer) who have been prosecuted or are being prosecuted. Among them are the former head of police and the current head of the central bank. In total, according to Lipsič, there are more than a thousand corruption investigations underway.
Lipsič emphasizes that the government plans go further than closing the anti-corruption office. “They also involve substantial changes to the law, which will significantly reduce penalties for corruption and allow cases to expire more quickly. This means that many cases would have to be stayed because they would already have expired.”
In the cities, where Fico and his government have less support, people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against the plans. But anyone who speaks to people in Topoľčany, the region where Smer received the most votes and where the prime minister was born, notices that there is great support among his supporters.
A saleswoman at the market says: “I think they should abolish the anti-corruption department. It doesn’t help us. Corruption has always been there, and will always be there among those in power.”
Prime Minister remains immune
Fico has been Prime Minister three times before. He had to resign in 2018 after the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak. His investigations had uncovered major corruption cases, in which Fico and his party were also involved.
Fico himself was also a suspect in an investigation into organized crime, but because he enjoys immunity as a member of parliament, he could not be prosecuted. Last year, the previous government voted on lifting that immunity, but fell short by two votes. Dozens of other politicians have now been convicted.
Number of convictions
“Our department was never a problem until about three years ago, prosecutors started working on major cases in which people with power and money were charged and ultimately convicted,” Lipšic says.
He contradicts the fact that the anti-corruption department is not independent. “The institution that judges the quality of our work is the court. In the last three years, 93 to 95 percent of our cases have resulted in a conviction.”
If his office has to close, the current cases will all be transferred to a department of the Public Prosecution Service that has not been involved in major corruption investigations and is headed by General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka. It has a reputation for stopping many investigations, such as an investigation into Fico.
Lipšic has made a proposal to the government. “I said if she made a public promise that they would keep the department with all the prosecutors, I would resign.” That offer was not accepted. “So it’s not just about me.”
The government decision still has to go through parliament, where the three parties have a majority. That will be announced in January. The European Commission has now expressed its concerns about the plans.
2023-12-22 21:27:57
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