PRESIDENT Andrej Kiska received this year’s laureates of the White Crow anti-corruption award – the first time ever the laureates have been invited to Presidential Palace by a head of state, the TASR newswire reported on November 27.
Zuzana Pechočiaková, a doctor of the Faculty Hospital in Nitra who pointed out an altered medical record; fired inspector Ľubica Lapinová who revealed shady public tenders; and Oleg Pastier, a key figure in the civil samizdat movement during the communist regime, received the White Crow Award on November 17.
“I would have never thought that my work as a controller would one day bring me to the office of Mr President,” said Lapinová, as quoted by TASR.
The meeting was attended by the Fair-Play Alliance and Via Iuris NGOs that have organised the White Crow awards since 2008. The project honours Slovaks who took personal risks as whistleblowers by challenging unethical or corrupt behaviour, as well as those who display civic bravery and integrity.
Kiska praised the courage of White Crow laureates.
“These are people who managed to overcome fear and risked the loss of their jobs,” he said, as quoted by TASR “Despite all the risks, they mustered the courage to point to areas where the state fails.”
Source: TASR
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
