Activists Accuse MH Invest of Fraud

Surany/Bratislava, 22 July (TASR) – The We Protect Our Own civil initiative has once again accused GIB EnergyX Slovakia, the Economy Ministry and state-owned company MH Invest of unlawful practices and fraud related to the permit process for constructing a battery plant in Surany (Nitra region) and demanded an immediate suspension of all construction work until the completion of a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (known as a full EIA), Stanislav Gulas of the civil initiative announced on Tuesday. GIB EnergyX Slovakia has submitted several building permit applications related to the construction of the Surany Industrial Park and the battery manufacturing plant. "The investor is submitting more applications, but the environmental assessment for battery production itself has only just begun. With the consent of MH Invest, however, the investor is knowingly and incorrectly attaching a decision from the preliminary screening process (the so-called small EIA), which applied only to the industrial park and not to battery production," claim the activists. The activists are urging the relevant authorities not to grant permits for the construction of production halls, hazardous waste storage, external NMP solvent cleaning areas or waste-water treatment facilities until the full EIA has been completed for the entire project. mf/df