The special building authority has extended the deadline for the concessionaire of the D4R7 project by 90 days to submit materials to prove whether the construction of a part of the D4 highway near Jarovce, Bratislava, with the disputed embankment is or is not in accordance with the public interest. In this connection, the Minister of Transport and Construction Andrej Dolezal (We Are a Family), informed on Wednesday that the procedure for a subsequent permit for this construction has been ongoing since January 9 this year.
On Saturday, two senior managers of D4R7 Construction were charged with harming and endangering the environment. The company denied charges and claims that it entered into valid leases with the owners of the relevant site specifically for the purpose of gravel extraction. "Therefore, no damage could have been caused to the owners of the land in question. They were paid the agreed fee for the use of their land and they are not raising any claims against D4R7," stated the company, which is contracted to build the D4 and R7 sections around Bratislava within the PPP project.
The police are claiming that the gravel mining was illegal, but D4R7 Construction denies any responsibility for alleged errors in the permit process. The police explained that the damaged area is located in Zitny Ostrov, Slovakia's biggest drinking-water reservoir. With the estimated damage standing at €12.5 million, the police have already confiscated €12.2 million in funds as well as immovable property located in Slovakia, for compensation purposes.
The two suspects, a German citizen identified only by the initials M.H., and an unidentified Spanish citizen, are alleged to have caused environmental damage worth €12.5 million. According to the police, the said crime concerns the illegal mining of material designated for construction of the motorway bypass. It has been suspected for some time that contaminated materials and waste from illegal dumps was being used to build earthworks on the construction site.
