The acting general prosecutor has taken away all classified files from prosecutor Jaroslav Kozolka, who is facing allegations of collaboration with the counter-intelligence service under the communist regime, the TASR newswire reported on May 24.
The Sme daily reported on the cooperation between Kozolka and the counter-intelligence service in its May 23 issue, saying due to this cooperation he should not be given security clearance for the National Security Authority (NBÚ) to deal with some confidential files. The prosecutor passed the security clearance, even though former counter-intelligence agents should not be able to do this.
While Kozolka says he did not knowingly cooperate with the ŠtB, the former head of NBÚ Ján Mojžiš says that Kozolka did not receive it during his tenure, Sme wrote.
According to a document provided by the Czech Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, Kozolka is supposed to have signed a declaration of such cooperation in December 1988.
“Due to information that has cast doubt on the trustworthiness of prosecutor Kozolka and that has led to suspicions that he was associated with military counter-intelligence, the first deputy of the prosecutor-general, Ladislav Tichý, has adopted an operational measure,” said spokesperson for the Office of the General Prosecutor Jana Tökölyová, as quoted by TASR, adding that the office is examining the information.
Meanwhile, the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party announced that it wants NBÚ to reassess the security clearance of Kozolka.
“I will ask NBÚ in a letter to re-assess [Kozolka’s] certificate – whether it was issued in compliance with the law and whether Mr Kozolka concealed any facts important for its issuing,” said SaS chair Richard Sulík, as quoted by TASR.
As a member of the parliamentary committee for supervision over NBÚ’s decisions, Sulík wants to summon incumbent NBÚ head Jozef Magala to report on the matter, TASR wrote.
Source: TASR, Sme
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
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