Milan Vetrák (first from the left). (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
Due to legislative chaos, a consumer protection bill with a provision that punishes the media for publishing untrue statements from politicians was passed in the Slovak parliament.
The provision was proposed by OĽaNO MP Milan Vetrák through the parliamentary constitutional committee headed by himself, and it is unrelated to the consumer protection bill with which it was passed.
According to information of the daily Sme, Vetrák has been and still is involved in several lawsuits with the media for the protection of personal rights.
Lawyer Tomáš Langer says the bill means transferring responsibility onto the media. Politicians may be willing to file a lawsuit against the media, because they can get more money and earn a visible space in the media.
In the past, OĽaNO head Igor Matovič stated that Smer chair Robert Fico had €700 million in a bank account in Belize and that the latter's party stole €30 billion. Matovič provided no evidence to support either claim.
Although the media verify such claims or at least add the necessary context, it is impossible to do so during live media briefings. Thus, should the provision go into effect and Matovič makes a similar statement, for example, Robert Fico and Smer may be motivated to file a lawsuit.
President Zuzana Čaputová is expected to veto the bill with the provision.
After a backlash, Vetrák says that he is willing to discuss the wording of the provision with the media if the president vetoes the bill. If the media were unable to function properly, he would not recommend OĽaNO MPs to break the president's veto.
