A new chief of Slovakia’s Military Intelligence Service (VSS) has been selected. “It's Mr. (Roman) Mikulec. Today I introduced him to the people who work there,” said Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko (SaS) after the government session on August 18, the TASR newswire reported. Galko told TASR that the new VSS director is an apolitical expert, who has been active in military intelligence for years.
The earlier appointment of Milan Hudec for the post caused uproar, as former Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) learned that Hudec did not hold a valid security clearance. Fico further stated that Hudec learned about the VSS framework after being appointed to the post without proper authorisation.
Galko then temporarily dismissed Hudec from the post and ordered him to undergo fresh clearance tests. Prime Minister Iveta Radičová (SDKÚ) explained that the request for the clearance test had a later date than when the test was carried out. The controversial clearance screening is currently under the scrutiny of a commission. Galko stated that the investigation is going well for Hudec.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
