Justice Ministry Rejects Corruption Watchdog's Claims About Criminal Code

Bratislava, 6 August (TASR) – The Justice Ministry has rejected statements by the Let's Stop Corruption Foundation regarding the alleged negative impact of the amendment to the Criminal Code. The ministry argues that the analysis cited by the foundation contains false information and claims the foundation is biased in favour of the opposition. This was stated in the ministry’s official position sent to TASR on Wednesday. „The alleged analysis by the foundation, from the ministry’s point of view, contains false and misleading information, presented in a purpose-built way, thereby misleading the public and creating a false image of the impact of the Criminal Code amendment," the ministry stated. The ministry denied claims that the amendment benefited more than 3,000 criminals. „Most of the reported cases have been or are still being handled as misdemeanours, meaning perpetrators are not escaping punishment. In some cases, the penalty under the misdemeanour law may even appear stricter," the ministry explained. The ministry added that many of these cases concern so-called 'Horalky crimes' [named so after a popular wafer bar-ed.note] – referring to repeat petty thefts, such as stealing a bread roll. „This is one of the elements we retained from the amendment to the Criminal Code introduced under the Ludovit Odor (caretaker) government (2023), which significantly influences the statistics," it stated. The ministry also rejected claims related to the punishment of property forfeiture, calling such statements false. „The amendment in question had no impact on existing court practice in this area," it said. It noted that the Constitutional Court, during the previous government’s term, had already ruled that the original legal provision on property forfeiture was unconstitutional. „The ruling was published in the Collection of Laws of the Slovak Republic on 20 October 2023, meaning from that date, the provisions ceased to be valid and applicable. Had the current government done nothing, the punishment of property forfeiture would have become virtually unenforceable," the ministry argued. The ministry accused the foundation of manipulating statistics to fit its narrative and claimed its conclusions are based on distorted data and subjective judgements. „This comes at a time when the Administrative Court confirmed the gross abuse of political power during Igor Matovic’s government by then-justice minister Maria Kolikova, who shamefully and blatantly interfered with judicial independence – an issue the NGO found unworthy of attention," the ministry remarked. The ministry also stated that the foundation selectively criticises one political side while ignoring the failures of current opposition figures. On Wednesday, the Let's Stop Corruption Foundation warned of the negative consequences of the Criminal Code amendment, claiming the state is abandoning the fight against corruption. It cited its own analysis, which highlighted a decline in corruption prosecutions and noted many cases being dropped due to the statute of limitations. mf/mcs