Opposition Lambasts Susko for Inaction and Dismantling of Justice

Bratislava, 2 June (TASR) - The opposition SaS party claims that the Justice Ministry has been turned into a tool for protecting the powerful, asserting that the ministry has lost the ability to assess the state of the judiciary, whereas the 'Slovakia' party believes that people are increasingly fearful of growing lawlessness and cronyism, and called on the government to stop the injustice. These positions were shared with TASR following Prime Minister Robert Fico’s (Smer-SD) inspection day at the Justice Ministry. „Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) was supposed to show what he has actually changed in the judiciary over the past year. Instead, he presented no concrete data and provided no evaluation of the impacts of the reform or the so-called shameful amendments to the Penal Code. People deserve to know the truth about how justice is changing in this country — and right now, we know nothing,” said MP Maria Kolikova. According to Kolikova, the ministry lost the ability to assess the state of justice after it disbanded its analytical center. She added that changes to the Penal Code benefited specific individuals by improving their legal standing in corruption cases. „The release of [ex-special prosecutor] Dusan Kovacik, twice lawfully convicted for corruption, is just the cherry on top,” she stated. In addition, she pointed out that despite ongoing fiscal consolidation, the Justice Ministry employs three state secretaries, while the ministry itself is, in her words, dysfunctional and professionally dismantled. The 'Slovakia' party stated that the current government is systematically undermining the foundations of the rule of law. In response, it highlighted interventions in the functioning of the judiciary and claimed that Fico’s statements about the rule of law are accompanied by threats against judges and prosecutors, interference in judicial power, and public belittling of independent decisions. They also criticized Minister Susko for failing to deliver any significant result in modernizing the judiciary during his two years in office. mf