Ex-defence Minister Jaroslav Nad Not Charged Yet Over Military Aid for Ukraine

Bratislava, 3 July (TASR) – Former defence minister (2020-23) and leader of the non-parliamentary 'Democrats' party Jaroslav Nad has not yet been charged with respect to the donation of military equipment to Ukraine. Nad noted this on Thursday after being questioned at the Police Corps Presidium, dismissing claims that he damaged EU funds or interests as "utter nonsense". "Our only goal was to help Ukraine, and we succeeded," said Nad, adding that he would act in the same way again and that he believes even more support for Ukraine could have been provided. According to him, the total value of the donated assets is expected to be reimbursed, with Slovakia potentially receiving up to one billion euros in return. "The Slovak Republic got rid of old ammunition and received money to purchase new stock. It was economically advantageous, morally right and justified," he stressed. Nad described the entire investigation as politically motivated, although he said the questioning itself was conducted professionally. He expects to testify again on related matters in the future. He also commented on a report by the Slovak Supreme Audit Authority (NKU) that highlighted issues with the donation process. "The report contains numerous factual inaccuracies and incomplete data. I regret not having the chance to comment directly as someone who was closely involved," said Nad, suggesting that the Defence Ministry’s responses were either intentionally misleading or the result of incompetence. A special investigative team named Donor was established by the Office for Combating Organised Crime (UBOK) in November 2024, based on the NKU report. The team is tasked with investigating suspicions of illegal actions related to the donation of Slovak military equipment worth hundreds of millions of euros to Ukraine during the previous government. Criminal proceedings were initiated by a prosecutor from the European Public Prosecutor's Office. mf/df