The parliamentary Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee on September 2 rejected a proposal by a group of opposition MPs to dismiss Justice Minister Štefan Harabin, ministry spokesman Michal Jurči told the TASR newswire.
"I thank the MPs for refusing to go along with the smear campaign initiated by (Opposition KDH MP) Daniel Lipšic and sticking to the facts and common sense," Harabin said following the session.
Lipšic and SDKÚ-DS MP Lucia Žitňanská have submitted a no-confidence motion against Harabin that will be considered in parliament on September 4. The move from the two former justice ministers comes in reaction to Harabin's alleged close personal relations with Albanian entrepreneur Baki Sadiki, who is a suspected drug trafficker. The opposition MPs pointed to a transcript of a friendly telephone conversation between Harabin and Sadiki. Both Sadiki and Harabin deny any close links.
Jurči said that Harabin "believes that during the no-confidence vote, all of Parliament, as well as the public, will finally learn the truth behind the fabrications". TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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