A collection of police, firefighter, military and naval caps. (source: TASR - Lukáš Grinaj)
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok has cancelled a procurement deal for police and firefighter caps following revelations that the government was poised to pay more than twice the market rate.
The contract, worth up to €3 million over four years, was set to supply 10,000 caps from Rempo, a company that also provides similar hats to Slovakia’s national railway operator – but at just €46 per item. The Interior Ministry, by contrast, had agreed to pay €115 each.
The minister acted swiftly after Denník N published a report comparing the two public contracts. “For maximum transparency,” Šutaj Eštok said in a statement, “we will file a criminal complaint and request a public procurement review.”
He also cancelled other tenders awarded to Rempo – including those for gloves and workwear – and pledged a full audit. One of the scrapped contracts involved black berets priced at €40 each, compared to €15 paid by the Defence Ministry for similar items.
The scandal comes in the wake of a controversial €326 million IT equipment tender, also overseen by Šutaj Eštok. That deal drew criticism from opposition parties and the Finance Ministry’s spending watchdog, which warned that the computers were overpriced by more than €100 million.
Several apparel companies have previously raised concerns about opaque procurement processes at the ministry, including a bizarre request for polo shirts made from coffee-bean shells. The winning bidder for that contract has yet to be announced.
Šutaj Eštok has denied any wrongdoing but said new tenders would be issued.
