Opposition Files Criminal Complaints Over Grants from Kmec's Office

Bratislava, 14 November (TASR) – Several opposition parties announced on Friday that they are filing criminal complaints with respect to research and development grant calls issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery Plan and a Knowledge-based Economy, headed by Peter Kmec (Voice–SD). The opposition parties again called on Kmec to release all related information. The office continues to deny any wrongdoing. A criminal complaint by Progressive Slovakia (PS) focuses on three main suspicions: misuse of power by a public official, accepting a bribe, and bribery by an unknown perpetrator or perpetrators. "These are the three basic points outlined in the criminal complaint. Documentation and evidence that has reached us are attached. We'll provide more information in the coming days, because there is indeed more," said opposition MP Jan Hargas (PS). According to Hargas, the allocation of grants to several problematic companies was suspicious, as was the method of selecting project evaluators, and suspicions of possible bribery also emerged. He added that Progressive Slovakia has received an anonymous tip-off, probably from within the office itself, describing in detail how project selection may have been manipulated. Hargas called the move by Voice–SD chair Matus Sutaj Estok, who ordered the suspension of the calls pending investigation, an "empty gesture". He pointed out that 13 contracts have already been signed and published in the Central Register of Contracts, covering projects worth nearly €65 million. "Let's not pretend that anything has been stopped, because these contracts create rights and obligations, and these companies understandably expect to receive the grants," he warned. PS is calling on Kmec to publish all information related to the problematic grant calls, including the list of project evaluators, the minutes of their assignment to specific projects, and the project assessments themselves. It also demands the names of the commission members who evaluated the applications and the minutes from the commission's meetings. "If Deputy Prime Minister Kmec doesn't do this, we'll initiate a parliamentary probe," added Hargas. mf/df