The Constitutional Court has overturned an appeal by former president Michal Kovac concerning accusations against former head of the secret service SIS Ivan Lexa in the kidnapping of the president’s son. What is worse for the former president, he is supposed to publicly apologise to Lexa and pay compensation of just over EUR 3,300.
The verdict, acknowledging the earlier ruling of the Regional Court in Bratislava, says Kovac had no right to express the accusations no matter if Lexa was guilty or not. The ruling has not only enraged a large part of the Slovak public, as the now infamous case has a reputation as being one of the dirtiest cover-ups to be seen in Slovakia, but has also led to an outcry from the Freedom and Solidarity party (SaS).
Party head Richard Sulik pointed to how certain fundamental principles of democracy were under attack, underlining three recent cases. Sulik said all three cases showed the same signs of ignoring the public’s right to the truth and suppressing the right to freedom of expression, while offering special protection to certain people. The other two cases are the recent one involving supreme court head Stefan Harabin (suing EUR 187,000 from the Attorney General) and the EUR 30,000 claim of judge Helena Kozikova against documentary filmmaker Zuzana Piussi who had allegedly not received the judge’s consent to make a secret recording. The reporter could go to jail over the issue.
The kidnapping of Michal Kovac junior led to the issue of amnesties by acting president Vladimir Mečiar, who was also blamed for having engaged the Slovak secret service (SIS) in the abduction of the President’s son Michal Kováč, Jr. — wanted on a warrant for a financial crime in Germany — to Hainburg, Austria, in August 1995, but neither his nor anyone else’s guilt has ever been proven. Several attempts have been made to annul the amnesties, most recently in February of this year, but all were unsuccessful as none got the necessary backing of 90 of the 150 MPs in parliament.
In 2000, Ivan Lexa fled Slovakia and became an international fugitive and the target of an intense search by Interpol, eventually being captured in 2002 in South Africa and extradited back to Slovakia. The Slovak courts have never found Lexa guilty of any wrongdoing, however, and in two cases he is still covered by the Meciar amnesties (Wikipedia).
George – The bridge collapse – You seem suprised that before the rescue services had completed the search and the final death toll was known everyone and the dog were putting up their umbrellas, – its a Slovak thing!
How any organisation can declare it takes no responsibility or blame BEFORE any official investigation is beyond me. I hope there is a full and transparent enquiry into this unfortunate incident and that ALL those shown to have failed in their duties and responsibilities, no matter how small, are taken to task and punished. The JOJ news footage gives some clues as to the safety issues on that site, even though their was a danger of material falling from the structure the film clearly showed workers with no helmets, Hi-Vis etc walking around.
I am amazed this non story made this muse website . Two old communist, spitting at each other??? Sticks and stones etc
Meanwhile recently, we have had a unreported a massive passenger train crash in Bratislava, a huge motorway car crash in Trnava where several people died and near Kurimany, in the Levoča a new road bridge, which is currently under construction, fell at about 14:30 on Friday . The fact here have been two fatalities so far, in addition to several injuries, rescue forces, including two helicopters, arrived at the scene to remove people from the terrible debris seems to all have passed by the Editor .
One think did make me smile however on this last event. The bridge which is part of the cross-country D1 highway section between Jánovce and Jabolonov is being completed by two construction companies, Váhostav-SK and Bögl a Krýsl. The a NDS spokesman who the actual road investor, quickly said that NDS bears absolutely no responsibility for the collapse.??
What is it with Slowvaks and not ever taking the blame or responsibility and it is always someone else that is at fault, or to blame ??
Is it just in the genes ?????
It would appear that the premise that all are equal in the eyes of the law is another basic concept thay only applies to certain people at certain times and in certain situations, the rest of the time the judicary just make it up as they go and always to the benefit of those who have somehow managed to attain a position “above the law”.
Downwards, ever downwards, like a submarine full of holes there is no limit to how low this country will sink.