INVESTIGATORS have charged the 1996-1998 economy minister Karol Česnek in Vladimír Mečiar's government and seven onetime top officials of the National Property Fund with fraud and abuse of power.
The Mečiar-era privatizers are accused of embezzling from the company DMD Holding between 1994-1998 and of depriving the state of Sk5 billion.
Česnek on behalf of the Economy Ministry as a DMD shareholder, ordered the transfer of shares from former heavily indebted arms producers ZTS Martin, ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom, ZVL Dubnica from the Economy Ministry to the DMD Holding account.
Interior Minister Vladimír Palko believes that the investigation will bring further charges. The daily SME reported that Movement for a Democratic Slovakia deputy Milan Rehák may also be charged.
Compiled by Beáta Balogová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
9. Jul 2003 at 11:53