Prime Minister Iveta Radičová (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ)) is maintaining her earlier stance that the Tax Directorate’s general director, Miroslav Mikulčík, should accept responsibility for a questionable office rental deal in Košice and step down, the SDKÚ presidium noted at a session on Tuesday, April 19.
A statement delivered by party leader Mikuláš Dzurinda, who is also the foreign minister, asserted that Radičová respects the authority of Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš (a vice-chair of the SDKÚ) to appoint the officials of bodies that fall under the ministry's remit. Mikloš has said he see no reason for Mikulčík to go. Both will now wait for the results of a review of the deal by the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ), which is to be initiated by parliament. A joint assessment and statement on the review's outcome will follow.
Radičová and Mikloš clashed over Mikulčík's decision to enter into the rental arrangement, which was with Nitra Invest, a company owned by a regional SDKÚ official. Radičová urged Mikulčík to take responsibility for the affair on Friday. Mikloš said on Monday, however, that he continues to have confidence in Mikulčík and called on him to remain in his post. It was claimed that Prime Minister would ponder her resignation if the SDKÚ presidium session sided with Mikloš.
"We've concluded what has been raised up until now. We've assumed a political stance towards the events, and we'll act in line with what's in the statement," Dzurinda said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. He called the four-hour talks "candid".
The Sme daily commented in this morning’s edition that an NKÚ audit does not make much sense, however, as the authority can only check how state money was used – but reports that Nitra Invest has, so far, not received a single cent.
Sources: TASR, Sme
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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