Political ethics watchdog Fair-Play Alliance is facing a lawsuit over its ZNasichDani.sk (‘From Our Taxes’) website, which publishes information on who has earned the most from state commissions, Lucia Buranová from the alliance said on Tuesday, August 23, as reported by the TASR newswire
The NGO is being sued by Jarmila Považanová, a manager for a company called Strabag. Považanová claims that the alliance’s project – which was awarded a prize as the best open data project in Europe – has interfered with her personal rights. Považanová is demanding that her name be withdrawn from the website, that an apology be issued and that she be paid compensation of €10,000.
The Bratislava II District Court in June released a provisional ruling ordering Fair-Play Alliance and Slovakia's Visual Trade Registry (VORSR), which jointly run the website, to withdraw certain information about Považanová. The court provided no reasoning with its provisional ruling.
Fair-Play Alliance subsequently appealed against the verdict, but the court has still not made a decision. "[Považanová's] suit is obviously based on the assumption that receiving a state commission damages the reputation of a businessperson. Mrs. Považanová has been active in companies that were successful in receiving state commissions. We're therefore curious to hear an insider's explanation as to how to receive state commissions, and why receiving a state commission damages the reputation of a businessperson," said Vladimír Šárnik, the alliance's lawyer.
Source: TASR
For more information on this story see: Court orders removal of public procurement data.
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
