The daily wrote that when Ján Slota, chairman of the Slovak National Party (SNS), is not in parliament, he asks SNS Deputy Chairman Rafael Rafaj to forge his signature onto the attendance sheet.
By doing so, he avoids a cut in his monthly Sk100,000-+ salary, which is levied against any MP whose attendance rate falls before a certain minimum.
The ruling SMER-SD party has stated that it regrets the situation, but is not considering taking disciplinary action against either Slota or Rafaj. Some members of the party even doubted the veracity of Sme report.
Prime Minister Robert Fico, who heads the Smer party, has no comment on the scandal, as he considers it an internal party matter, spokeswoman Katarína Kližanová-Rýsová said. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
19. May 2008 at 20:00
