Parliament on Tuesday approved a motion asking the Supreme Audit Office (NKU) to carry out an immediate audit of the cost-effectiveness of the use of state resources at EXPO 2020 Dubai.
According to OLaNO leader and MP Igor Matovic, there are suspicions that resources were wastefully managed and of expenditures going unrecorded. Matovic pointed to a video that has been released by Smer-SD in which then economy minister Richard Sulik calls on guests at the restaurant of the Slovak pavilion to "drink the bar dry".
Sulik's successor, former economy minister Karel Hirman, reported last week that "very serious shortcomings" have been found at the ministry in connection with the organisation of the Slovak exhibition at the world fair. Hirman claimed that he's set to take legal action over the matter.
Meanwhile, the case is already being investigated by the Prosecutor’s office.
Sulik on Tuesday denied accusations of a wasteful use of state finances at the EXPO, claiming that the video in question was recorded on the final day of the event, when it was officially over, and he and the guests at the restaurant were celebrating the success of the fair. According to the ex-minister, the celebration at the Slovak pavilion was attended by approximately 30 people, including the Slovak staff. "I invited them all for a drink," said Sulik. According to the ex-minister, his call to "drink the bar dry" was related to UAE restrictions concerning the import and export of alcohol, and the bar didn't contain a large quantity of alcohol at that time.
As for the alleged discrepancies in accounting related to Slovakia's exhibition at the fair, Sulik said that accountants are looking into it. The most important thing, in his view, is the fact that the Slovak exhibition adhered to its budget.
(TASR)
