The so-called 'objection war' against justices of Slovakia's Constitutional Court in the case to decide who will be the country's chief prosecutor has taken another twist. Jozef Čentéš, who was elected by parliament in June 7, 2011, to become general prosecutor but who President Ivan Gašparovič formally rejected on January 2, 2013, has objected to the participation of Justices Ján Auxt and Ľubomír Dobrík in a recently established court panel, the SITA newswire reported. The three-member panel, which also includes Justice Rudolf Tkáčik, was due to consider a previous objection by Gašparovič filed on February 19 against the composition of another panel appointed to hear an appeal, also filed by Gašparovič, against the original motion filed by Čentéš on January 3 seeking to overturn the president's formal refusal to appoint him.
Gašparovič objects to the presence of Justices Lajos Mészáros, Sergej Kohut and Juraj Horváth on the panel that is supposed to deal with his previous complaint, submitted against Justices Ján Luby and Ladislav Orosz as members of the senate due to consider Čentéš' motion. Luby and Orosz themselves replaced Justices Milan Ľalík and Peter Brňák after a complaint filed by Čentéš was upheld at the end of January.
The president’s spokesperson, Marek Trubač, did not specify on what grounds Gašparovič objected to Mészáros, Kohut and Horváth, the Sme daily reported. The president has now lodged objections to five of the court’s 13 justices, without citing any reasons.
Gašparovič submitted his first complaint after Čentéš successfully objected to the original composition of the judicial senate that was due to consider his January 3 motion. He claimed that two members of the panel, Ľalík and Brňák, could be biased and partial. A senate comprising Justices Mészáros, Kohut and Horváth accepted his objection on January 24, and the Constitutional Court replaced Ľalík and Brňák with Luby and Orosz.
Mészáros and Kohut were among the justices who did not support a Constitutional Court ruling in November 2012 which gave Gašparovič the right not to appoint Čentéš as the country’s chief prosecutor.
There are now only four Constitutional Court judges (out of 13) against whom neither Gašparovič nor Čentéš have filed objections, Sme wrote on February 22.
Sources: SITA, Sme
Note: This story was corrected at 14:35 on February 25, 2013, to make clear that Jozef Čentéš has not lodged an objection to Constitutional Court Justice Rudolf Tkáčik.
For more information about this story please go to: Gašparovič files objections to three more judges
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
