Slovak parliament approves closure of country's anti-corruption office despite street protests and EU warnings
Kyiv • UNN
The Slovak parliament has approved the closure of the country's anti-corruption agency, despite street protests and warnings from the EU.
After more than two months of obstruction and eight rounds of weekly protests in Slovak cities, the reform of the criminal code was adopted by the Slovak parliament.
This is reported by UNN with reference to the ORF Broadcasting Corporation and Euractiv.
Details
Despite the boycott by the opposition parties in Slovakia, the country's parliament has given the green light to the reform of criminal legislation, which will result in the liquidation of the special prosecutor's office responsible for fighting organized crime and political crimes.
The reform, initiated by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, may also ease sanctions against offenders, reducing the timeframe for bringing these people to justice and weakening whistleblower protection.
Ksenia Makarova , a representative of the Slovak anti-corruption group Stop Corruption, said that the judicial reform was accelerated by the Fico government without consulting relevant legal experts and "despite the protests of tens of thousands of people across Slovakia.
Therefore, it is questionable whether the government will insist on rapid changes as its own politicians and businessmen involved are under investigation and prosecution
The amendment was also criticized by the EU institutions and could have triggered the launch of the EU's conditional mechanism for Slovakia, which could have led to the suspension of EU funds to the country.
President Zuzana Chaputova said she was ready to veto the reform and would probably challenge it in the Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, the political opposition vowed to continue organizing anti-government protests, Euractiv reports.
Recall
At the end of 2023, Slovakia once again witnessed protests directed at the government of Robert Fico. The demonstrations are against the planned abolition of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and against the reduction of penalties for financial crimes. The EU also has concerns about the rule of law in Slovakia.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has indicated that the country will not block 50 billion euros of EU funding for Ukraine over the next four years.
