MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, November 27, 2020 - 9.00 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, November 26): BRATISLAVA - Smer-SD chair Robert Fico said on Thursday that he won't comment on a testimony given by Smer-SD's former Justice Ministry state secretary Monika J. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], who is being prosecuted in custody for corruption and allegedly mentioned Fico in her statements to an investigator. Fico reiterated that Monika J. did a good job as state secretary. "What Monika J. was supposed to do as state secretary, she did well," he claimed, adding that detainment is starting to be misused by the police as "an instrument of torture". The Smer-SD chair said that he consulted the issue of representing the state in major legal cases with Monika J. in the past, but he claimed that he knew nothing of her private activities. According to him, Smer-SD has had nothing to do with the case of counterfeit TV Markiza promissory notes, and he rejected any notion that he pulled strings in an attempt to secure the release of defendant Marian K. from custody. Fico called the entrepreneur a "big showboat" who liked to brag but "never really got anything done". BRATISLAVA - I received the credentials of the new Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Igor Bratchikov on Thursday, President Zuzana Caputova posted on a social network on the same day. "We agreed that it's important in our relations for us to seek and develop what unites us and to approach with respect things on which we don't share the same opinions, also given that we [Slovakia] are members of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance," said Caputova. BRATISLAVA - Ex-prime minister Peter Pellegrini stated on Thursday that he isn't aware that he's ever discussed controversial entrepreneur Marian K. and the Markiza television channel promissory notes case, which revolves around the businessman and former general manager of the channel Pavol R., with ex-Justice Ministry state secretary Monika J. when both of them occupied their respective former posts. Pellegrini's statement came in reaction to information that appeared in the media following Monika J.'s confession to her charges of corruption, according to which she allegedly testified that she discussed the promissory notes case with both then prime minister Robert Fico and later prime minister Pellegrini. "I'm not aware that I discussed this with her in any manner," claimed Pellegrini, adding that if it's true that she was trying to influence verdicts in the case to the benefit of Marian K., that's classified as a crime. "I can assure everyone that I never encouraged or asked her to get involved in something for the benefit of Marian K." he said. BRATISLAVA - If former deputy justice minister Monika J. has confessed and what has been written about it in the media is true, she probably wasn't a good political nomination and must bear responsibility, Independent MP Richard Rasi from the extra-parliamentary Voice-SD party told a news conference on Thursday. MP Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) added that former prime minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) probably held official talks with Monika J. with regards to his post, but he himself didn't witness any conversation about businessman Marian K. Tomas added that he never met businessman Norbert B. either at the Government Office during Fico's term, or at Smer-SD headquarters. "We don't know what Monika J. said in her testimony, but if she confessed to her actions and what has appeared in the media is true, she must bear responsibility for that," stressed Rasi. He pointed to the fact that the police's 'Operation Storm', during which she was detained, was launched during the government of Peter Pellegrini, who later founded Voice-SD. In addition, Monika J. was taken into custody during Pellegrini's term. "This rules out any doubts," claimed Rasi. BRATISLAVA - Parliamentary Vice-chair Milan Laurencik (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) has called on Smer-SD head Robert Fico to give up his seat in Parliament, TASR learnt from SaS spokesman Ondrej Sprlak on Thursday. According to Laurencik, Fico must be afraid of what ex-Justice Ministry state secretary Monika J., who was nominated to the post by Smer-SD and who on Wednesday voluntarily confessed to the corruption crimes with which she was charged in March, has said about him. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia's coronavirus update for Wednesday, November 25, according to the National Health Information Centre's (NCZI) special website covid-19.nczisk.sk: NEW POSITIVE PCR TESTS: 1,953 Positive PCR tests in total: 101,257 DAILY PCR TESTS: 10,723 PCR tests in total: 1,045,215 mf