Slovak parliamentary committees to examine wiretapping allegations

The alleged wiretapping of journalists by Slovakia’s Military Defence Intelligence (VOS) agency will be examined on November 22 by the special parliamentary committee that monitors the activities of military intelligence as well as by the parliamentary defence and security committee, the TASR newswire was told by the respective committee heads: Peter Žiga (Smer) and Martin Fedor (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ)). Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko from Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party stated on his Facebook page that the military intelligence services do not have their own wiretapping devices while Žiga said that they do have access to police devices. Fedor said he also expects an explanation from Galko.

The alleged wiretapping of journalists by Slovakia’s Military Defence Intelligence (VOS) agency will be examined on November 22 by the special parliamentary committee that monitors the activities of military intelligence as well as by the parliamentary defence and security committee, the TASR newswire was told by the respective committee heads: Peter Žiga (Smer) and Martin Fedor (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ)).

Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko from Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party stated on his Facebook page that the military intelligence services do not have their own wiretapping devices while Žiga said that they do have access to police devices. Fedor said he also expects an explanation from Galko.

Galko has decided to file a legal complaint in connection with the allegations published by Pravda and Nový čas dailies on November 21. Galko also asked the parliamentary committee that monitors the activities of VOS to look into the situation, saying that the military intelligence services do not carry out wiretapping on their own.

"Every wiretap is done with the approval of a judge, which means legally and via the Police Corps. This is crucial for me," Galko stated.

Galko commented that the wiretapping scandal as well as certain other allegations against the ministry that have appeared in the media recently may be linked to a criminal complaint that he filed over suspicions of fraud in the case of the contract for the Mokys military system, in which Slovakia obliged itself in the past to pay several billion Slovak crowns.

Slovak media reported on November 21 that Michal Gučík, the general director of news-only television channel TA3, and three journalists from the Pravda daily had been wiretapped by VOS.

Source: TASR

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

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