Unlike with the Special Prosecutor's Office (USP), the Police Corps' co-operation with the Prosecutor General's Office is far from excellent, said Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic, a nominee of the Christian Democratic Party (KDH) at a press conference on December 23.
Lipšic criticised the Prosecutor General's Office for its inactivity in the case of Supreme Court judge Štefan Michalík, who has been accused of bribery, the TASR newswire reported.
"As this judge attended a party where acting Prosecutor General Ladislav Tichý was also present, Tichý excluded himself from involvement in the matter and did not ask the Constitutional Court to strip Michalík of his immunity,” said Lipšic as quoted by TASR. “Subsequently, the special prosecutor wasn't allowed to approach the Constitutional Court on the same matter.”
Lipšic added that this practically means that the judge in question enjoys impunity. The minister also criticised the Prosecutor General's Office for failing to demand that MPs Andrej Ďurkovský (former KDH, now independent) and Igor Štefanov (Slovak National Party, SNS), against whom the Interior Ministry has filed a criminal complaint, are stripped of their immunity.
"If the police were free to do their work and if we had a decent prosecutor general, no-one in Slovakia could feel untouchable any more just because they know the right people or have money," Lipšic told the press.
Conversely, the interior minister spoke highly of co-operation with the Special Prosecutor's Office (USP), claiming that most of the serious cases that the office is in charge of have been handled well, TASR reported.
