Sutaj Estok: Indictment of Former Minister Means That Law Comes above All

Bratislava, May 12 (TASR) - The charges brought against former environment minister J.B. (name abbreviated due to legal reasons) should be proof that the law should be above everyone in Slovakia, especially when it comes to politicians, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) posted on a social network on Monday in response to the accusation, adding that Slovakia can only be a strong country if it has strong and independent police. "I also made it clear that I reject the politics of revenge. These principles remain in force, and I insist on them. I therefore want to emphasise that the police act on the basis of the law, not political instructions, as was the case under previous governments. I won't create any 'matching pairs', as my predecessors did, and I won't participate in any political games," he said. Sutaj Estok added that it is the duty of the interior minister to ensure that all law-enforcement bodies are able to carry out their work professionally and without interference. The police on Tuesday charged J.B. with the ongoing crime of violating obligations in the management of somebody else's property in connection with an inefficient, wasteful and purposeless use of Environment Ministry funds. This caused damage to the state budget worth a total of almost €570,000. am/df