Kotlar Wants Prosecutor-General to Reveal Status of Submission on mRNA Vaccines

Bratislava, 18 September (TASR) – Government Proxy for Investigating COVID-19 Pandemic Management Peter Kotlar has called on the Prosecutor-General's Office to clarify the current status of progress regarding the submission concerning mRNA vaccines that he filed in March, TASR learnt on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference, Kotlar also stated that he'll refrain from any further public actions and comments until the state budget for next year is approved. "If the government is dissatisfied with me, it can dismiss me at the next session — even in my absence," said Kotlar repeatedly during the briefing. He issued a direct appeal to the Voice-SD party and President Peter Pellegrini, urging them not to interfere with his mandate or attempt to define what should be considered important in his role. Kotlar also called on Prime Minister Robert Fico to reject international health regulations before the state budget is passed. Furthermore, he demanded that Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) should publicly and clearly confirm whether COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and provide justification for his statements. Kotlar also called for full transparency regarding pandemic-related financial management, urging the Interior, Economy and Health Ministries to publish the results of audits related to spending during the COVID-19 crisis. He specifically called on Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) to clarify what happened to health data allegedly deleted in 2023, stating that the absence of such data hinders his ability to carry out his mandate. "I don't have the authority or access to the data I've repeatedly requested. I won't spend the next two years playing the fool for anyone," said Kotlar. He also urged the government to organise public round-table discussions that include dissenting voices. "Invite experts and doctors — whether it's Dr. Jan Lakota or Dr. Sona Pekova — and allow an open debate," he said. When asked about the basis for his claims, Kotlar admitted that they were grounded in intuition. "I won't tell you where they come from — it's intuition," he replied. In March, Kotlar submitted a forensic analysis to Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka in which he claimed that certain batches of mRNA vaccines have the potential to alter human DNA and cause serious illnesses. In response to Kotlar's claims, Health Minister Sasko asked the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) in May to test COVID-19 vaccine samples. In early September, representatives from the SAV Biomedical Research Centre confirmed that the residual DNA content in the vaccines was within regulatory limits. At the same time, they warned that spreading pseudo-scientific and fabricated claims could dangerously manipulate public fears. mf/df