MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, August 8, 2024 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, August 7): BRATISLAVA - Alexandra Kusa was dismissed from the post of Slovak National Gallery (SNG) general director as of Wednesday, with Anton Bittner being tasked with managing the gallery, both SNG and the Culture Ministry have confirmed for TASR. The Culture Ministry cited the inefficiency in the previous management as the reason for the personnel change. Kusa had been working at SNG since 2000, and at the helm of the gallery since 2010. BRATISLAVA - Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) has filed an appeal in the case of legally convicted former special prosecutor Dusan Kovacik, TASR has learnt from the minister's video posted on a social network on Wednesday. At the same time, the minister ordered the suspension of the prison sentence pending the decision of the Supreme Court on the appeal. Kovacik was released from prison on Wednesday afternoon. The minister filed the appeal on the basis of the defence lawyer's motion, which he found to be well-founded. "I'm convinced that in the case of Dusan Kovacik, the provisions that are supposed to ensure the clarification of the case were seriously violated during the determination of the facts," said the minister. According to Susko, the Supreme Court's final decision of May 2022 is based on a factual situation that was incorrectly determined in essential circumstances on the basis of the evidence taken, which may have resulted in a violation of the right to a fair trial. BRATISLAVA - The decisions of Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) to appeal and release former special prosecutor Dusan Kovacik from prison are fair and lawful, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) posted on a social network on Tuesday. The premier stressed that Smer-SD representatives consistently describe the Kovacik case as a textbook example of a "rigged show-trial". According to the prime minister, its aim was to remove Kovacik and "pave the way for the political nominee of [then premier] Igor Matovic, Daniel Lipsic". Fico stressed that the justice minister has, according to the Penal Code, the legal authority to release a convicted person if he or she files an appeal in his or her favour. BRATISLAVA - Opposition political parties have lambasted Justice Minister Boris Susko's (Smer-SD) decision to file an appeal in the case of convicted former special prosecutor Dusan Kovacik and order to suspend Kovacik's prison sentence, noting that this is proof that the incumbent government is helping criminals and that it only cares about ensuring impunity for itself and people affiliated to it. According to the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, Kovacik is a symbol of incompetence as a special prosecutor, as well as of sweeping major corruption cases under the rug. According to PS, Kovacik was rewarded for deliberately turning a blind eye to scandals concerning Smer-SD. "In this manner, Prime Minister Robert Fico has sent a signal to people close to Smer that no matter what happens, he knows how to take care of them," opined PS MP Zuzana Stevulova. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has started collecting MPs' signatures to initiate a no-confidence motion in Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (an SNS nominee), while at the same time it intends to organise a public protest against the minister on August 13 in Bratislava, PS vice-chair Ivan Stefunko reported on Wednesday. Stefunko in this vein lambasted the manner in which the minister dismissed the heads of the Slovak National Theatre and National Gallery on Tuesday and Wednesday. "The arrogance, authoritarian manner and actions of Culture Minister Simkovicova are unprecedented in Slovakia," Stefunko warned, adding that the minister is the one who must be dismissed. BRATISLAVA - The problems with oil supplies from Russian company Lukoil continue, and the Russian supplier, which has been placed on Ukraine's sanctions list, has stopped deliveries via Ukraine for 'force majeure' reasons, while Slovnaft, which has a long-term contract with Lukoil, hasn't received any oil deliveries from the supplier since the beginning of July, Slovnaft's spokesman Anton Molnar reported on Wednesday. "Since then Slovnaft has been making every effort to secure replacement oil supplies in this critical period for Slovakia and the region. As this is a short-term solution, Slovnaft and the [Hungarian] MOL Group are working in parallel with representatives of their states to resolve the problem so that long-term guarantees for oil transport are given," said Molnar without giving further details. The suspension of oil supplies from Lukoil was confirmed by the Economy Ministry in mid-July. However, the European Commission has told Slovakia and Hungary that there is no risk of an energy crisis and that alternative supply options are available via the Adria pipeline. Moreover, other Russian companies are supplying oil via the Druzhba pipeline without restrictions. zel