BRATISLAVA, September 24, (WEBNOVINY) — Finance Minister Ivan Miklos expects to receive this evening a report he requested from the Supervisory Board of the state-run lottery company Tipos from its investigation of the case of contracts awarded to the PR agency VYV by the national lottery company. Co-owner of the agency in 2001 was Tipos former and current chief Stanislav Ziacik. The daily NOVY CAS claims that the agency was awarded contracts by the company also during the first term of Ziacik in Tipos between 2002 to 2006 as well as after his return to office in the summer of this year. Miklos said he would decide soon whether Ziacik would remain director of the company or not. „If the report is sufficient, I will decide immediately, if not, I will ask for additional information, but I do not want to prolong it too much, so I expect that early next week to finally decide one way or another,“ said Miklos. The minister said he did not want to act based on a newspaper article. Therefore, he has asked for verification of the relevant information. „I want to decide based on reliable information and at the same time I hereby confirm that it will consistently insist that public interest is defended, so that no one provides favors to companies that are close and so that unfair deals not are made,“ said Miklos.
Opposition SMER-SD Chairman Robert Fico on Wednesday called the contracts awarded to VYV by Tipos “unprecedented audacity.“ He announced they would closely monitor what the governing coalition will do and wait for a response of the new government.
Ziacik has confirmed for NOVY CAS that he was a partner in VYV but he sold his stake in 2001. He also said that he respects professional agencies from which Tipos buys PR services.
SITA