Smer-SD Launches Broadside against Project Forum, Hinting Misuse of EU Funds

Bratislava, June 6 (TASR) - Representatives of the coalition Smer-SD party have raised questions about the financial management of civil association Project Forum, hinting that a misuse of European funds might have occurred, MPs Tibor Gaspar, Richard Gluck (both Smer-SD) and party presidium member and MEP Erik Kalinak stated on Friday. The trio announced that they will file an information request, which is now possible due to an amendment to the legislation on NGOs that made certain organisations subject to public information obligations. They pointed out that the statutory representative of the association is Marta Simeckova, the mother of opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka. "As MEPs, we have the opportunity to ask the European Commission questions, and I asked directly about this project," said Kalinak. According to him, the Commission confirmed in its response that the association did not use the funds for the purpose for which they were requested and that the unlawfully obtained funds have not been returned. He described the project as a genuine fraud involving European money. The civil association will therefore be asked questions about its financial management via an official information request. This will concern the contract under which the European agency provided funds to the association and also the handing over of all administrative and accounting documents. The politicians intend to determine whether the funds were used for the originally declared purpose and, if not, why not. "The fifth question is why the civil association has been refusing to return taxpayers' money for over a decade — money that, according to all relevant decisions, it was not entitled to," said Gluck. mf/df