ATTORNEY General Dobroslav Trnka declared that if MPs commit minor crimes they are not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Trnka said, for instance, that if a lawmaker commits a traffic offence, the police should take action, and not simply let the matter drop, as is common practice at the moment, the Pravda daily reported.
"MPs don't have any immunity when it comes to misdemeanors. Such minor crimes should be dealt with by the respective authorities," said Trnka, whose opinion is similar to that of a number of constitutional lawyers as well as Justice Minister Daniel Lipšic.
Despite the fact that the Slovak Constitution does not provide MPs with immunity against misdemeanors, according to a directive issued in 2003 by the police president, officers should not take action when MPs infringe traffic laws.
The latest such case was that of Ján Cuper of the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, who caused an accident in November while driving drunk.
- Martina Jurinová
