The Opposition is filing a complaint in the Constitutional Court against the law amendment that enables highway construction work on plots of land before they are expropriated, the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party and OLaNO-NOVA MPs said on Thursday. The lawmakers are mainly criticising the amendment for its inappropriate interference with the fundamental right to own property and asking the court to issue a preliminary ruling that will postpone the effects of the law. "We are suggesting this preliminary ruling because the law has taken effect as of June 2 and it could thus happen to you that dredges start running on your plot of land," said MP Miroslav Ivan (SaS).
The amendment on one-off extraordinary measures for the preparation of some highway construction work includes a new legal institution of 'preliminary possession' that has enabled certain reversible stages of work on land to the extent deemed necessary before the time-consuming expropriation process is concluded. It was prepared by the Transport and Construction Ministry led by Árpád Érsek (Most-Hid). Parliament approved it in a fast-track legislative procedure in May. After being vetoed by President Andrej Kiska, Parliament passed it again. It has thus taken effect even without being okayed by the president. The Transport Ministry argued that the amendment was needed because of problems involving the buying out of plots of land needed for building the Bratislava bypass and for which land speculators have been demanding extortionate prices. The ministry came up with the amendment in order to allow construction to begin before the court issues a ruling regarding the land prices.
