Good evening. Here is theTuesday, March 19 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Farewell to the Special Prosecutor's Office
The Special Prosecutor's Office will cease to exist at midnight. (source: TASR)
Prosecutors of the Special Prosecutor's Office bade farewell to the office on Tuesday, the last day of the office's existence following the coalition's decision to abolish the body overseeing the investigation of serious crimes.
Top prosecutors will no longer handle corruption and organised crime cases following the decision of General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka. Up until now, he had not properly explained his decision. Instead, prosecutors will join other departments.
"Thanks to the people [prosecutors and employees at the Special Prosecutor's Office], Slovakia became a more just country," said Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipšic, adding that Slovakia is about to waste the talent of elite prosecutors.
He added that he is grateful for people's support, which he didn't expect.
"We're not rock stars, but we're thankful for the support," Lipšic said.
On the last day of its existence, the office announced that charges were being pressed against prominent people:
Juraj Gedra (Smer), chief of staff at the Government Office, charged with public procurement machinations and violations of duties related to supervising entrusted property. Four other people are facing charges. The case concerns legal services, for which the lawyer Radomír Bžán was supposed to receive more than €70 million from the state firm MH Manažment for winning a dispute over the Gabčíkovo power plant. Gedra was the firm's top representative back in the day. (Denník N)
Košice Region Governor Rastislav Trnka and, reportedly, ex-MP György Gyimesi, are facing charges related to machinations in public procurement. The case is said to concern overpriced legal services. (PJD)
Financier Jaroslav Haščák and four other people have been charged with corruption and organised crime in the Gorilla corruption case again.
Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipšic dismissed the complaints of the charged from last year's Vírus police operation. In total, 16 people are facing charges. Some, like ex-Military Intelligence heads Ján Balciar and Ľubomír Skuhra, are suspected of signing overpriced contracts for Military Intelligence between 2013 and 2020. The damage caused is said to be at least €74 million.
FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY
Investors having problems trusting Slovakia under PM Fico's rule
Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický. (source: TASR)
Slovakia is becoming a debtor with the highest risk in the eurozone. The yield of 10-year Slovak bonds surpassed the yield of Italian bonds; Italy is currently the largest debtor in the eurozone.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Politics: Ahead of the 2020 elections, then PM Peter Pellegrini asked Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán to put him in contact with Russia. Pellegrini is running for president now. Here's why Pellegrini reportedly wanted to go to Moscow.
Business: Improving the sustainability of public finances is a key challenge for the Slovak government, says the OECD in its report on Slovakia.
Travel: A popular wooden latrine under the Tatra summit is gone, but ecological toilets will replace it.
Opinion: Navigating HR transformations.
If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.
FILM TO WATCH
Explanation for Everything (2023)
A divided society is the main theme of the Hungarian-Slovak film "Explanation for Everything". The film, which won the main prize in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival, won the main prize at the Febiofest Bratislava this week.
The film will be screened in Slovak cinemas as of March 21.
In other news
A new flight between Košice and Zadar, Croatia, will be launched by Ryanair on June 2. The connection in the summer flight schedule will last until September. It will run two days a week, on Wednesday and Sunday. The flight will take about 90 minutes.
A new hospital may be constructed in Prešov for the money provided by the Defence Ministry. It would also serve as a military hospital. (TASR)
The new regulation on instant payments published on Tuesday in the Official Journal of the European Union takes effect on April 8. Payment service providers based in the eurozone have nine months from publication to prepare for the receiving, and 18 months to prepare for the sending of SEPA instant payments in euros. In practice, this means that receiving instant euro payments will be mandatory for banks in the eurozone no later than January 9, 2025, and sending them no later than October 9, 2025. (SITA)
The Council of the EU adopted a law to protect persons who speak out on matters of public interest against abusive lawsuits meant to silence them. People targeted by so-called strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP), typically journalists and human rights defenders, will benefit from a number of procedural safeguards and measures.
Presidential candidate Ivan Korčok during a pre-election gathering in Bratislava on March 19, 2024. His team estimates that 10,000 people gathered in one of the city's major squares. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Expect partly cloudy skies with occasional increases in cloud cover throughout the day. Temperatures will range from 8 to 14 degrees Celsius. Wind conditions will predominantly remain light. (SHMÚ)
MARCH 20 NAME's DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Víťazoslav, Klaudius. (It's also International Day of Happiness tomorrow.)
Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.
P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator).
