The Slovak Information Service building in Bratislava under renovation in 2018. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
President Zuzana Čaputová sacked Slovak Information Service Director Michal Aláč on August 23 and temporarily replaced him with his deputy Tomáš Rulíšek.
Nominated by the coalition party Sme Rodina and appointed by the president in 2021, Aláč had to leave. As of last week he has been prosecuted for several crimes, including obstruction of justice, establishing an organised crime group and the abuse of power.
Rulíšek is the third spy boss at the helm of the Slovak Information Service in three years.
Aláč’s predecessor nominated by Sme Rodina, Vladimír Pčolinský is suspected of corruption and accused of the same crimes as Aláč. He was sacked in March 2021 after almost one year in office. Pčolinský is a brother of Sme Rodina deputy chair Peter Pčolinský. Aláč was Pčolinský’s right-hand man at the secret service.
Under the management of Sme Rodina nominees, the secret service is alleged to have attempted to discredit police investigators dealing with corruption cases linked to the Smer party, and helped Pčolinský when he was charged with corruption.
Vladimír Pčolinský. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Michal Aláč. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
New spy boss after elections
A lawyer by profession, Rulíšek has worked with the secret service for 20 years. He was mostly responsible for international relations and administration, the Sme daily writes.
The secret service does not publish the names of his deputies, but Sme writes that one is a person nominated by the OĽaNO party, led by ex-PM Igor Matovič. The self-declared anti-corruption fighter defeated Smer and Robert Fico in the 2020 elections.
The Slovak Information Service director is responsible to the prime minister. Acting PM Ľudovít Ódor said that a new government should appoint the new top spy boss.
