Marián Janušek (source: SITA)
The prosecutor laid charges against five people in the bulletin-board tender, described as one of the biggest scandals of the first government of Robert Fico (2006-2010). Among the accused people are two former construction ministers.
The prosecutor charged Marián J. with manipulating the public procurement and public auction as an accomplice, abusing the powers of a public official, and violating his duties when administering someone else’s property. The remaining four people, identified as Igor Š., Radoslav B., Tomáš L. and Zdenka K., were accused of manipulating the public procurement and public auction as accomplices, said Jana Tökölyová, spokesperson for the Special Prosecutor’s Office, as reported by the TASR newswire.
The case dates back to 2007. It involved the announcement of a €120 million competition for supplying the then Construction Ministry with various legal and advertising services co-financed by EU funds. The call for applicants was placed only on a bulletin board in a corridor at the ministry, then under the remit of the Slovak National Party (SNS). The tender was won by the only bidder in the tender, a consortium of companies including Zamedia and Avocat, both businesses with links to the then-SNS party leader Ján Slota.
The scandal resulted in the sacking of two SNS ministers, Marián Janušek and Igor Štefanov.
