US embassy dispatches regarding Smer party are released by WikiLeaks

US diplomatic wires that were published by WikiLeaks include several names of so-called sponsors of the Smer party whose influence had been denied by Robert Fico, the party’s chairman, the Sme daily wrote on September 6.

US diplomatic wires that were published by WikiLeaks include several names of so-called sponsors of the Smer party whose influence had been denied by Robert Fico, the party’s chairman, the Sme daily wrote on September 6.

Before the 2006 elections, the former US Ambassador to Slovakia, Rodolphe Vallee, reportedly heard from several sources that if Smer’s chairman Robert Fico failed to form the next government, his life might be in danger because sponsors behind his party might not be pleased.

Fico responded to the leaked documents by saying he cannot do anything about the subjective feelings of employees of the US embassy, adding that half of the information is gossip and nonsense. He rejected wires that reported that Jozef Brheľ and Juraj Široký were sponsors of his party.

The embassy cables also noted cooperation between Smer and businessmen Vladimír Poór, Ján Gabriel and Fedor Flašík. The embassy cables suggested that Široký stopped the participation of Chinese firms in the construction of highways in Slovakia.

The dispatches, quoted by several other Slovak media, also reveal that one source to the US embassy reported that the Penta investment group had paid Sk2 million to each of an undisclosed number of independent deputies to assure their votes for legislation changing the franchising of pharmacies. Penta responded that the information was as a mixture of nonsense, indicating total lack of knowledge and ignorance of the facts.

Source: Sme

Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.

Top stories

Stock image.

Twice as many Ukrainians work in Slovakia now than before the Russian invasion.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad