Slovak court halts Fico's controversial initiative to abolish whistleblower protection
Kyiv • UNN
The Supreme Court of Slovakia has temporarily suspended controversial legislation that abolishes the national whistleblower protection office. This decision is an important step in ensuring the rule of law in Slovakia, as the new law was deemed too controversial.
The left-populist government of Prime Minister Robert Fico suffered a setback after the Slovak Supreme Court temporarily suspended a controversial law that abolishes the national whistleblower protection office, UNN reports with reference to POLITICO.
"The Constitutional Court's decision confirms that the new law is so controversial that it was necessary to suspend its operation. We consider today's decision an important event in ensuring the rule of law in Slovakia," the whistleblower protection office told POLITICO. The decision came into force on Tuesday.
This decision suspends the controversial law, which would otherwise have come into force on January 1, 2026, until the court reviews its constitutionality.
The publication notes that since returning to power in 2023 for a fourth term, Fico's Smer party has taken steps to eliminate anti-corruption institutions, including the abolition of the Special Prosecutor's Office, which dealt with high-profile corruption cases, and the disbandment of NAKA, an elite police unit that dealt with organized crime. The ruling coalition has also introduced harsh measures against independent media and amended the constitution to give Slovak national law precedence over EU law in "cultural and ethical matters."
The Fico administration, which bypassed a presidential veto after using an accelerated procedure to push through the bill, is not backing down in the dispute over the whistleblower office. "For now, this is only a decision to suspend... We are convinced that the Constitutional Court will confirm that the law is correct and it will come into force," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement.
The government's plan is to replace the office with a new institution whose leadership will be politically appointed. This move will shorten the term of the current director and weaken whistleblower protection.
"It was a shock because it was not discussed, consulted, or even announced in any way beforehand. And in my first reaction, I called it the most blatant political interference in the activities of an independent state institution that I can imagine," Zuzana Dlugošová, head of the whistleblower protection office, told POLITICO.
She warned that with weakened protection, whistleblowers would be "less willing to help the state expose violations of EU law and fraud related to European funds, which are significant in Slovakia."
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