SaS: Police Launched Criminal Investigation into Fearmongering in Vaccines Case

Bratislava, 15 October (TASR) – The police have launched a criminal investigation into the spreading of a fearmongering message linked to questioning the safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines by Government Proxy for Investigating COVID-19 Pandemic Management Peter Kotlar, representatives of the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party stated at a press conference on Wednesday. Bratislava Region Police haven't confirmed or denied the claim, however. SaS filed a criminal complaint against Kotlar in March over his public statements. SaS chair Branislav Groehling declared that Bratislava Region Police informed the party about initiating criminal proceedings on Tuesday (14 October). "At this point, we're aware that criminal proceedings have begun. Based on everything currently evident from the case file, I believe there is a high probability that charges will be filed. We are convinced that our criminal complaint has a clear factual basis, and the person we consider to be the main suspect is Peter Kotlar in his capacity as government proxy,” said SaS vice-chair Maria Kolikova. She described the initiation of proceedings as an important signal to the public. "I currently have confidence that — unless there is some external interference — there is a genuine effort to investigate this case and determine the truth. We believe that by casting doubt on vaccination using pseudo-scientific claims, Peter Kotlar may have seriously endangered public health," said SaS MP and member of the House health committee Tomas Szalay, who again called on the government to remove Kotlar from his post. Szalay's parliamentary colleague Jana Bitto Ciganikova stated that findings from the investigation have confirmed the falsehood of Kotlar's claims. "He himself has admitted that he had no access to any medical databases. Everything he published was simply his own fabrication. He misused his post as a government proxy to spread panic," she said. Bratislava Region Police spokesperson Katarina Bartosova told TASR that investigative actions by the Regional Directorate of the Police Corps in Bratislava are underway, but due to the ongoing investigation, no further details can be provided for now. SaS filed the complaint after Kotlar claimed that the results of his analysis of COVID-19 vaccine batches used in Slovakia showed that all tested mRNA vaccine batches contained genetic material capable of modifying human DNA. He argued that this could lead to the development of several serious diseases. His statements were condemned by both the scientific community and health authorities, who pointed out that Kotlar had provided no scientific evidence for his claims. mf/df