BRATISLAVA, December 20, (WEBNOVINY) — Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic (KDH) claims that the opposition should at last make the decision and not only consider whether they would try to oust him from the ministerial post. In this way he responded to statements made by SMER-SD leader Robert Fico on Sunday, who said that he could not rule out initiating a no-confidence motion against the minister in parliament. The former prime minister lashed out at Lipsic after the information had been disseminated that his ministry had allegedly pressurized the investigator and the special prosecutor assigned to the case of SMER-SD’s funding about eight years ago. “I am ready to defend the steps I had taken,” Lipsic told SITA news agency. According to the minister, Prosecutor General Dobroslav Trnka has already denied that he mentioned exertion of pressure on the investigator, the special prosecutor talked about pressure from the side of the media and the concerned investigator repudiated any pressure from superiors in her official report. “I believe that this assault by Robert Fico is aimed to intimidate investigators, but I have come to the office [with the objective] that the police will have free hands,” the minister announced, adding that “this means that I will not let anyone — which includes Robert Fico — to intimidate investigators or members of the police. They will have free hands in every single case”. Lipsic explained that Fico intended to bully the investigators; if they probe into the case related to his party he will harshly scandalize it and create a media hype of the case. The minister highlighted that no one in Slovakia can be positioned above the law, regardless of their political ideology or relationship to financial groups. “This had already been here. As long as I am Interior Minister, this will not come back,” he assured.
Lipsic is of the opinion that Fico should support an official examination of the well-know tape-recording, with a voice similar to Fico’s talking about having ensured at least 75 million Slovak crowns for the party SMER beyond the official accounting. The SMER chairman considers the tape counterfeit that could have been compiled by editing and pasting together parts of his speeches. It could also be work of an imitator. “If I were in the shoes of Robert Fico, I would have the recording examined if he claims that it is a forgery and thus I would shut the mouth of all critics (…). Since he picked a different path, of scandalizing the investigator, he missed the opportunity to be a decent politician,” concluded the minister.
SITA