BRATISLAVA, December 2, (WEBNOVINY) – Prime Minister Iveta Radicova, who has been in charge of the Ministry of Defense after SaS‘ Lubomir Galko was recalled from the ministerial post, has dismissed Military Counterintelligence Service (VOS) head Pavol Brychta and appointed Robert Tibensky instead of him.
Radicova then released Brychta as well as other military intelligence employees from vow of confidentiality. It was not, however, an unexpected move. The prime minister informed earlier this week that she intends to do so to enable senior military counterintelligence officers to cooperate with investigators of the recent wiretapping of journalists. Pavol Brychta remains a MoD employee without a specific position at the minister’s office. The prime minister plans an audit of military intelligence services for next week. Radicova said she is not afraid of shredding evidence or getting rid of it in any other way, as, she says, “Slovak secret services work in such way that shredding would not help”.
The prime minister instantly halted all tenders and contracts at the MoD, including employment and state service ones. She also suspended all financial operations except those necessary for the ministry’s normal run. All decisions made at the department have to be signed by her as acting defense minister.
Radicova also discussed deployment of both Slovak and Czech military doctors in the situation when some 1,200 hospital doctors have quit in protest against the situation in the health sector. The prime minister plans meeting Czech Army Chief of Staff this Saturday over the issue. MoD spokesman Ivan Rudolf informed that out of 28 military doctors three are deployed in Bratislava, three in Zilina, five in Ruzomberok and 17 are at alert.
SITA