WELL-KNOWN Slovak writer Tomáš Janovic and his wife have reported being assaulted by a former adviser of Prime Minister Robert Fico, Drahoslav Machala. The writer immediately reported the alleged attack to the police and said he is prepared to give evidence, the Sme.sk website reported on April 19.
“I was walking with my wife to the post office [to collect my] pension,” the 74-year-old Janovic said, as quoted by Sme.sk. “He [Machala] started to shout and swear at me. I told him to greet Pamír.”
Sme.sk reported that Pamír was the codename used to refer to Machala in the files of the ŠtB, the communist-era secret police.
The writer said that following this exchange Machala attacked him and his wife. She later had to be taken to hospital. Janovic added that, aside from some bruises, neither was seriously hurt.
Machala responded by saying that that security camera footage of the incident would prove that it had not happened in the way Janovic had described it to the media, Sme.sk wrote.
