Police cars at the Miners’ Square in Handlová following the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico on 15 May 2024. (source: TASR - Alexandra Moštková )
The case concerning the shooting of Prime Minister and Smer leader Robert Fico in May is still unresolved, with the ongoing investigation not being communicated to the public. However, Fico maintains—most recently on Saturday, 5 October—that the incident will continue to fuel discussions about the motives and those behind the attack.
“I don’t want to say too much in advance, but it appears to involve dreadful things,” he stated on Slovak state radio last Saturday, reiterating claims that the shooter, Juraj Cintula, has connections to the opposition. “Even further than just opposition parties.”
Fico added that the Slovak Information Service (SIS), a top intelligence agency, is also participating in the investigation. The SIS is led today by Pavol Gašpar, son of MP Tibor Gašpar, a member of Fico’s Smer party. Tibor Gašpar served as police chief during Smer’s time in power in previous years. He was forced to step down after the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová in 2018. Today, he remains charged with corruption and misusing the police for the political goals of Fico’s party.
In 2021, a year after the parliamentary elections, the Slovak Information Service released a report alleging that investigations involving influential figures linked to the Smer party had been manipulated by the police, a claim that the police denied. The report sparked what became known as the “war” between the SIS, the police, and the Interior Ministry’s police inspectorate. Fico exploited the report to undermine police investigations, including one that pertained directly to him, and to attack the opposition, investigators, prosecutors and judges.
Fico also blames critical media outlets for the attack, although Cintula insists he acted alone.
On Wednesday, 9 October, the newspaper Sme reported on a 10-page ruling by the Supreme Court regarding Cintula’s detention, summarising the investigation thus far. Cintula approached the court after the Specialised Criminal Court denied his release in the summer.
