Ondrej Krajňák, head of the Nation’s Memory Institute (source: Sme)
A few weeks after Ondrej Krajňák, head of the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN), sacked pro-extremist historian Martin Lacko, some of the institute’s representatives have accused Krajňák of threatening his employees and authoritative tendencies.
ÚPN’s three-member Supervisory Board approached Smer MP and former defence minister Martin Glváč with their complaints against Krajňák. Glváč later summoned parliament’s human rights committee which also deals with NKÚ.
They presented a list of objections against Krajňák which they gave only to coalition members of the committee. Even Krajňák did not have an opportunity to read the list and prepare his defence.
With a majority in the committee, coalition politicians together with members of extremist People’s Party Our Slovakia, pushed through the motion concerning the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) carrying out an inspection in the institute.
Head of the committee Erika Jurinová and a member of the committee, Alena Verešová, both of opposition Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) criticized the procedure. The supervisory board should have informed Jurinová, as the committee chairwoman, as well as the entire parliament about the situation; not only selected politicians, according to them.
“From the way the discussion was going, it is clear what the real point is,” Jurinová and Verešová wrote in their joint statement. “The aim is not to find the truth but to fire the chairman who, due to several reasons, does not play into the hands of this coalition.”
