BRATISLAVA, November 2, (WEBNOVINY) — The Cabinet has eventually removed from office the head of the State Material Reserves Administration (SSHR) Eva Hrinkova, nominated by SDKU-DS, after she submitted her resignation to Prime Minister Iveta Radicova at the Cabinet session on Wednesday. “The Cabinet subsequently adopted a resolution to recall the Chairwoman of the State Material Reserves Administration Ms. Hrinkova at her own request as of today,” said Radicova. SSHR has been shaken by a scandalous sale of close to seven kilos of platinum mesh to a private company well below the market price in recent days. According to information disseminated in the media, SSHR should have earned much more from the sale.
Hrinkova labeled the media uproar a part of political and pre-election battle since she claims SSHR has met all internal regulations and statutory provisions. “I personally refuse being part of political and pre-election scrabble and a target of backstage campaign of an unsuccessful buyer interested in the purchase,” Hrinkova reasoned her resignation in a statement sent to SITA news agency. She further informed she was not aware of any mistakes and therefore she would continue protecting her name and reputation of the office and its employees applying all available legal means.
Before Hrinkova was recalled, the Cabinet had decided to immediately halt and suspend with immediate effect the sale of assets administrated by the State Material Reserves Administration. The Cabinet ordered the SSHR head to immediately bring all sales and appropriation of assets except for inevitable modification of stock to a stop. The Cabinet has also ordered Hrinkova to suggest immediate termination of the platinum mesh purchase contract with the company Heneken and reversing the mutual deliveries resulting from the contract.
Radicova said that Cabinet Office’s preliminary findings unequivocally lead to Hrinkova’s recall if she had not resigned. The audit has not been concluded yet and SSHR can submit its comments on the findings.
Radicova also said that course of the electronic auction was all right in this case. A draft revision that the Cabinet is considering should concern regulations of publishing advance information that an auction will be held before it actually takes place. Radicova sees the problem in the way some institutions use electronic auctions, not in the legislation regulating electronic auctions itself. The Prime Minister has admitted that if it is necessary, they could adopt one more government regulation regarding auctions.
TV Markiza informed last week that the man who bought the cheap platinum from the state was a candidate on the SDKU list in the 2006 parliamentary elections. The TV Markiza reported that the company Heneken submitted the winning bid only one second before the electronic auction closed and its only owner is 27-year old Michal Hudoba from Sliac. Eva Hrinkova, served as head of the Cabinet Office under Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda before 2006.
SITA