Slovak investigators met their Swiss counterparts on Tuesday, May 18, to brief each other about new findings in the probe into the sale of Slovak surplus greenhouse gas emission quotas. Slovakia is investigating the case as a fraud that deprived the state of tens of millions of euros, while Switzerland is looking into allegations of money-laundering.
"It was a working meeting at which we mutually informed one another of the steps taken since our previous meeting, and we agreed on continued cooperation," said Deputy Prosecutor-General Ctibor Košťál, the TASR newswire reported.
An inquiry into the case was prompted partly by criticism from Slovak opposition parties and ensuing criminal complaints more than one and half years after Slovakia is believed to have lost at least €40 million in a deal in which the Environment Ministry (then under the remit of the Slovak National Party (SNS)) sold rights to emit 15 million tonnes of CO2 to a private US company called Interblue Group at a price of €5.05 per tonne – a far lower rates than that obtained by neighbouring countries for their quotas.
Source: TASR
For more information about this story, please see: New revelations blow lid on Interblue puzzle and Slovakia’s Environment Ministry wants new partner for emissions sales.
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
