GAMATEX Plus, a limited liability company, has bought around 9,000 square metres of the land on which the future plant of the carmaker Kia should be built, the SME daily wrote.
The company is owned by businessman Marián Kočner who, in 1998, tried to take over the private TV broadcaster Markíza when it was run by Pavol Rusko, the current economy minister.
According to SME, Kočner bought the land for Sk295 (€7.38) per square metre, beating the running state offer of between Sk110 (€2.75) and Sk140 (€3.5).
Kočner also became a member of the petition committee of landowners who are unhappy with the price the state is offering for their property.
Rusko said that he had unconfirmed information that Kočner had wanted to buy the land for some time but could not prove it.
"It shows that the land has become a subject of speculation. Everyone is trying to get rich on it and blackmail the state," said Rusko.
The Kia land is scheduled for preparation for the South Korean investor by the end of this month. Rusko said that the cabinet should decide on August 18 on further steps in the purchase of the land. Land expropriation remains an option, he said.
Compiled by Martina Jurinová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
