BRATISLAVA, February 8, (WEBNOVINY) – Prime Minister Iveta Radicova considers the preliminary injunction issued by Bratislava I District Court prohibiting publishing Tom Nicholson’s book on the Gorilla graft case to infringe the freedom of expression. According to Radicova it is unambiguous and unprecedented. “This is not Mein Kampf,” the prime minister stated at a news conference on Wednesday, adding that she strongly protests but there’s nothing more she could do.
Radicova says that the judge who made the decision must be definitively aware of its consequences. “I believe he was acting in believe that he obeys the law and lawfulness as he did in the ruling that [former president] Mr. Kovac has to apologize to [former secret service boss] Lexa,” said Radicova, noting that we have to accept this as a fact.
Radicova also said there are several other happenings which she also perceives in the Gorilla case context: objection against the existing material that the Cabinet Office supplied as evidence as well as attempts to criminalize individuals who might have several times spoken with the representatives of the employers without any connection to the Gorilla case, not in any conspiracy flats in order to dim, haze, contest, slow down the investigation”. And this all in one context.
According to the prime minister, her steps regarding an older intelligence service SIS report that she handed over to the investigators was approved by lawyers and by independent experts. “They did not articulate any indication of doubts,“ said Radicova. The lawyer of Penta’s Jaroslav Hascak now says that handing over this document was illegal as the Cabinet Office should not have been in its possession
Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic underlined that Radicova handed over the document in the presence of the special prosecutor who supervises the investigation. “I have the feeling that it is a confirmation of investigation heading in the right direction,” said Lipsic. According to him it is natural that suspects would look for any arguments and tactics to avoid criminal responsibility. They are legally entitled to this, yet according to Lipsic such actions would not thwart the investigation.
SITA