If Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico didn't mean his statement that Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman Ján Slota has illegally enriched himself while his party is in the governing coalition, he should apologise; if he did mean it, he should kick SNS out of the coalition, said Christian Democrats (KDH) party leader Pavol Hrušovský on Monday, July 6, as reported by the TASR newswire.
Hrušovský spoke in reaction to Fico's statements on Slovak Radio's programme 'Sobotné Dialógy' (Saturday Dialogues).
“If there is suspicion of corruption and cronyism at the highest posts in politics, he (Fico) just cannot do nothing. He can cancel the coalition contract with such a party that is suspected of 'lining their pockets' or file a criminal complaint,” said Hrušovský to TASR.
If Fico doesn't act, KDH will most probably present its own version of a Property Origin Disclosure Act at the parliamentary session in September. Asked whether he did not have suspicion of corrupt behaviour in past governments (of which his party was a member) Hrušovský claimed he has no such proof.
“I am, however, open to the disclosure of any scandals since 1989,” he added. According to him, a single person can fail in any political party but society cannot take this as the norm.
Fico, speaking on Saturday, said he thinks that there are politicians who have illegally enriched themselves while in government but that he lacks evidence to support it. Asked to name politicians who in his view profited from being in government, Fico named his predecessor Mikuláš Dzurinda, former finance minister Ivan Mikloš (both from the opposition SDKÚ party) and Ján Slota, head of the SNS party which is in coalition with Fico’s Smer party.
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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