BRATISLAVA, May 16, (WEBNOVINY) — After Parliament recently approved the cancellation of MPs’ immunity from prosecution for misdemeanors, Slovak lawmakers will also cease to have immunity from criminal prosecution. A group of political negotiators composed of representatives of all political parties in parliament has agreed on this, a member of the group Radoslav Prochazka of KDH told journalists on Wednesday. Immunity will protect MPs only for statements in parliament and voting in the plenum and parliamentary bodies. If approved by parliament, the change should come into effect on September 1, the day of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic.
However, to take an MP to custody will require parliament’s approval. When the police catch a lawmaker committing a crime, they will have to inform the speaker of parliament and the chairman of the mandate and immunity committee. Prochazka said that the amendment of the Constitution and the related laws will be sent to parliament in time to put it on the agenda already in June.
The change will not affect Constitutional Court judges who will keep their current extent of immunity. Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paska (SMER-SD) says that the agreement is almost 100 percent and that SMER-SD will definitively support the cancellation of parliamentary immunity. He did not exclude that Constitutional Court judges might be stripped of their immunity soon, however, he added that any changes to the Constitution will be adopted only based on a previous wide political agreement and after consultations with the Constitutional Court.
MPs’ immunity from prosecution for misdemeanors as well as the immunity of other public officials was scrapped by a vote of parliament in early February. To cancel criminal immunity requires the three-fifth constitutional majority in parliament.
SITA