In an extraordinary intervention in the rule of law in Slovakia, Justice Minister Boris Susko (l) is proposing to have Supreme Court Justice Juraj Kliment (r) dismissed from his position as a judge. (source: TASR/SME)
Politicians in the current government, most notably Prime Minister Robert Fico, have long targeted Supreme Court Justice Juraj Kliment, not least because of his role, as part of a Supreme Court senate of judges, in authorising the prosecution and detention of numerous figures connected to previous Smer governments who have been accused of corruption and abuse of power.
Initially, government politicians described Kliment as a member of an alleged “organised group”. Then, in mid-June, they held a press conference titled “Enough waiting. We act!”
At this conference, Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer) announced that he would file a disciplinary proposal against the Supreme Court judge. The final straw, he said, was a June 13 decision by the European Court of Human Rights, which indicated that Kliment’s panel, despite the Slovak Constitutional Court’s approval, had violated the rights of a judge, Denisa Cviková, when deciding on her detention in the summer of 2020. Cviková was accused of colluding with businessman Marian Kočner – who was later convicted of fraud, and remains accused in the murders of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová – to manipulate court decisions in Kočner’s favour.
However, when it came to Susko actually filing the disciplinary proposal against Kliment, these allegations had vanished.
Instead, Susko’s 14-page proposal contains three points, all of which concern Marek Para, who is an advisor to Prime Minister Robert Fico and the preferred lawyer of Fico’s ruling Smer party.
Susko’s disciplinary proposal, filed in late June, largely mirrors a complaint filed by Para himself, who has been urging the minister to take disciplinary action since April. Only the minister, the Judicial Council, or the president of the court where the judge serves {i.e. the Supreme Court) have the authority to initiate disciplinary action against a judge.
Para not only filed complaints but also personally attended two April press conferences, led by Fico, that focused on criticising Kliment. He was also present at the June press conference where Susko, alongside fellow Smer minister Robert Kaliňák (who currently heads the Defence Ministry), announced the decision to file the disciplinary action.
