Kubina: NAKA Investigator Pavol D.'s Suspension Quashed by Court as Unlawful

Bratislava, 19 November (TASR) - The Administrative Court in Bratislava on Wednesday annulled a personnel decision by which Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) suspended former National Crime Agency (NAKA) investigator Pavol D. (name abbreviated due to legal reasons) from duty, TASR has reported based on a social media post published by his lawyer Peter Kubina on Wednesday. "The court ruled in our favour on all essential counts of the indictment and confirmed that the interior minister unlawfully suspended Pavol D. from duty. In doing so, he broke all the laws that stood in his way – not only the Whistleblowers Protection Act, but also the Police Service Act," stated Kubina, adding that the verdict will be final and enforceable upon delivery. Kubina explained that Pavol D. will be able to return to service and must be reimbursed for all lost salaries over two years. According to him, this is the first time when a court has delivered a final decision on the merits of the case with regard to the legality of the minister's decision and his course of action concerning the group of police officers known as the 'Curilla group'. "All the other lawsuits filed on behalf of the other unlawfully suspended police officers from the 'Curilla group' are identical, both from the legal and factual point of view," added Kubina. After taking up office in 2023, Sutaj Estok suspended several police officers, including those centred around investigator Jan Curilla, on suspicion that they had committed a crime. However, as the investigators had a protected whistleblower status, the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers said that the minister should have consulted this issue with them. jrg/df