The Justice Ministry sees no reason to form a commission to investigate the assassination attempt on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD). The ministry reacted in this way to a proposal by the opposition SaS party presented at a news conference on Tuesday. According to the ministry, the given proposal has no backing in any of the Slovak laws, and therefore the commission would have no investigatory powers, either. The ministry noted that the matter is being investigated by the institutions designated for it by law.
At the same time, the ministry has called on representatives of political parties to refrain from such public statements that could contribute to the increase of society's polarisation. The SaS party on Tuesday presented a proposal to form an international commission to investigate the assassination attempt on the premier with the role of preventing or investigating disinformation and misinterpretations regarding the assassination attempt, as well as examining potential misconduct by the police or the Office for the Protection of Constitutional Officials. The Interior Ministry reacted that the commission could only be formed after the investigation by the law-enforcement authorities is completed.
Prosecutor-General (PG) Maros Zilinka views the proposal to form the commission as inappropriate. Zilinka pointed out that the forming of an international investigation commission has no backing in the Slovak law. "The Slovak Penal Code defines rather clearly the bodies of pre-trial criminal procedures: police investigator who carries out the investigation, prosecutor who oversees the legality of pre-trial procedures and pre-trial judge who makes decisions on interventions in some constitutionally-guaranteed rights," claimed Zilinka. The Prosecutor-General pointed out that the Slovak law enforcement is already prosecuting the case and noted that societal reconciliation would benefit from showing respect for and trust in Slovak bodies.
(TASR)
