Dušan Kováčik (source: Sme)
Committee Chair Jaroslav Baška (of the ruling Smer party) showed Kováčik’s letter of apology for not attending. The prosecutor wrote that it is not currently possible for him to provide specific information on the Gorilla case, as the matter is still live and the investigation is ongoing. Kováčik promised that when the investigation is over, he will personally ask the MPs to appear at the committee to discuss in detail the conduct of the investigation and to answer MPs’ questions.
The Gorilla case concerns alleged corruption involving senior politicians and entrepreneurs at the time of Mikuláš Dzurinda’s second government (2002-06) and the wiretapping of a flat by the SIS intelligence service in which the talks between politicians and businessmen took place. The authenticity of the wiretappings, or rather of their transcripts, has still not been officially confirmed.
The opposition wanted to discuss the Gorilla case, claiming that Kováčik is blocking the investigation team’s appeals to interrogate key witnesses in the case who could once and for all prove whether the Gorilla document is authentic.
Independent MP Daniel Lipšic (opposition NOVA party) said – as quoted by the TASR newswire -- that he wanted to ask Kováčik whether he knows that entrepreneur Jaroslav Haščák has been publicly saying that he is not afraid of the investigation because he possesses information concerning what actions will be taken within it.
Lipšic is sure, the SITA newswire wrote, that Kováčik has been sweeping the biggest Slovak scandals under the carpet, citing the retraction of the request to waive SIS head of the confidentiality oath and the refusal to waive confidentiality oath of an SIS employee who worked on this case.
If Kováčik scorns MPs in this way, he should not be a special prosecutor,
Ľubomír Galko (opposition Freedom and Solidarity-SaS) said. The opposition announced last week that if the case was not discussed at a second attempt, it would try to transfer the whole discussion to the June parliamentary session. This commitment still stands.
