BRATISLAVA, May 13, (WEBNOVINY) – The parliamentary faction of the SDKU-DS party discussed several objections to the nomination of suspended Supreme Court Judge Peter Paluda to head the National Security Office ( NBU). According to information available to SITA news agency, SDKU-DS first of all objected to the way the nomination was announced, first through the media, which reported about the SaS proposal, before the party informed its coalition partners about the nomination. Another objection raised at the SDKU-DS faction was that even before he was confirmed as a candidate for this post, Paluda had already spoken about his plans to review some already issued security clearances, with reference to concrete persons. Another problem with Paluda for the SDKU-DS was the fact that the judge is suing the state, which is represented in this case by the Minister for Justice and the SDKU-DS Deputy Chairperson Lucia Zitnanska. The party also had reservations about the fact that Paluda is not suing the state on a matter of principle, but for money.
SDKU-DS has not officially made public the reasons for rejection Paluda as the SaS party’s nominee for the NBU top job. The National Security Office is still led by Frantisek Blanarik, who has announced his resignation in March briefly after the coalition partners shifted their focus on his past. The media informed that he allegedly had been reporting on his colleagues to the military counterintelligence when he served in the army. The previous SaS nominee Jan Stano did not get the coalition’s support because he had worked for the intelligence service, the SIS in the era of Ivan Lexa. The spy service is suspected to have been involved in illegal activities at that time.
SITA