THE DAILY newspaper SME has reported that smugglers working along the eastern border with Ukraine often bribe Slovak police and that police officers frequently profit from illegal human trafficking.
Smugglers told the daily that local police have always been involved in the business of illegal human smuggling. For advanced information on the location of police patrols, an officer might be paid Sk5,000 (€125) in cash and if the operation is successful they earn a further Sk10,000.
Official police sources have also confirmed the existence of problems with human smuggling on the eastern borders.
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry claims it is being successful in the fight against human trafficking and that more charges for the crime have been put in place this year than last year.
In addition, the prison sentence for a human smuggling conviction has been raised from one year to three years.
Compiled by Beata Balogová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
