Ján Čurilla and Pavol Ďurko, the detectives charged, have confronted assaults from politicians from the ruling coalition Smer and Hlas events. Each had been suspended two days after Inside Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok took workplace final 12 months following Fico’s victory within the Sept. 30 parliamentary election.
In what’s now Fico’s fourth time period in energy, his authorities has abolished the Workplace of the Particular Prosecutor that was tasked with investigating EU funds fraud and high-profile corruption circumstances — together with Purgatory. The European Fee and the European Public Prosecutor’s Workplace had beforehand urged Slovakia to not shutter the workplace.
The EU government’s current rule of legislation report on Slovakia, launched on Wednesday, stated the transfer “elevate[d] issues as regards the efficient combat towards corruption and the safety of EU monetary pursuits” in Slovakia. The Fee additionally warned Bratislava that the nation risked dropping EU funding.
Among the many officers charged, prosecutor Šúrek is the one one who continues to work on the Purgatory investigation. Critics concern the fees may characterize an try to get him booted from the case.
In accordance with the charging doc, the detectives made procedural errors throughout their investigation, resembling logging police interrogations within the improper file. They face 7-12 years in jail if discovered responsible by a courtroom.
