Slovakia’s Public Procurements Office (ÚVO) has sent the results of its investigation at the Ministry of Construction and Regional Development related to the so-called ‘bulletin board tender’ to the country’s Supreme Audit Office (NKU), ÚVO spokesperson Helena Fialová announced on Thursday, March 19. Fialova declined to specify any further details to the TASR newswire, as it is required to maintain secrecy on this matter.
By submitting its results, ÚVO has met a request made by NKÚ in late 2008 to carry out an investigation related to this tender for the provision of information and educational and legal activities, plus interpreting and translation services linked to Operational Programmes of the ministry, some of which are co-financed with EU funds.
The media cast doubt on the tender last year, noting that the tender was only announced on a bulletin board at the ministry. The ministry, headed by Marian Janušek, a Slovak National Party (SNS) nominee, then signed contracts worth €120 million with a consortium including two companies, Avocat and Zamedia, which are said to be close to SNS party leader Ján Slota. It has been alleged that the tender was only for show, with an intention of providing direct orders for the aforementioned companies from the very beginning.
The chairman of the opposition Christian Democrat party, Pavol Hrušovský, said earlier during the week of March 16 that the opposition parties will seek an extraordinary parliamentary session to hold a no-confidence motion on Janušek. No date for such a session has been scheduled. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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