THE POLICE charged Miroslav Mikulčík, the former statutory representative of the Tax Directorate, in connection with the scandal surrounding moving the tax offices in Košice to new office space, the SITA newswire reported on January 16.
According to police charges, Mikulčík violated the law when he pledged to pay €483,000 to the VSH Development company in 2011, though it was not entitled to the money. The tax offices should have moved to the building owned by the firm, but Mikulčík later scrapped the rental and allotted the offer to the company owned by then member of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) and regional SDKÚ official, Ondrej Ščurka.
If convicted, he faces 10-15 years in prison, SITA wrote.
“I do not know about any violation of law when signing the agreement at the time I was statutory,” Mikulčík told SITA.
The case over dubious moving of Košice tax offices first emerged in April 2011, after it was brought to light by then opposition MP Robert Fico. It caused considerable controversy within the SDKÚ and its coalition partners in government and the contract was eventually cancelled.
Mikulčík, who was previously on friendly terms with SDKÚ’s Ivan Mikloš, resigned in April 2011 after then Prime Minister Iveta Radičová objected to a lease at €6.6 million that he had approved in early 2011 to rent premises for the Košice tax office from Nitra Invest, a firm owned by Ščurka.
Mikulčík was replaced by Igor Krnáč in May 2011, who was then named head of the Financial Administration which replaced Tax Directorate in January 2012.
Shortly after Mikulčík resigned as head of the Tax Directorate, Mikloš hired him, in May 2011, as a personal adviser. He was subsequently named head of the Financial Operations Competence Centre early in 2012.
Source: SITA
To read more about this story please see: PM says tax office issue 'is closed'
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
