A REPORTER from the tabloid weekly Plus 7 dní was charged by police with attempted eavesdropping on a closed government meeting. The reporter, Václav Nekvapil, faces up to two years in jail, said Ján Packa, the head of the office for the protection of constitutional officials.
On Sunday May 7, during an open door day at the Government Office, Nekvapil used a sticky tape to attach a mobile phone under the table where PM Mikuláš Dzurinda sits.
Security found the mobile phone on May 10, the SME daily wrote.
"With a certain technical adjustment it could have been activated and [the people involved could have] eavesdropped what on was going on [during the session]," Packa said.
According to Packa, the journalist admitted having planted the phone under the table, but said he merely wanted to test the level of security at the Government Office.
Plus 7 dní refused to comment on the case.
Journalists in Slovakia have tried similar tricks in the past. In one case they smuggled a knife into the parliament building despite security checks at the entry gate; journalists also claimed to have entered a secure area at Bratislava airport without being stopped.
Compiled by Martina Jurinová from press reports
TheSlovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the informationpresented in its Flash News postings.
