Regional Prosecutor Accuses Zilinka of Interference, Zilinka Rejects Allegations

Bratislava, 20 November (TASR) – Zilina Region Prosecutor Tomas Balogh has accused Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka of unlawful interference in criminal proceedings, according to a letter sent to the Prosecutors' Council and the parliamentary defence and security committee. Zilinka rejects the allegations, calling the claims in the letter lies. The issue was discussed at a special emergency session of the committee on Thursday, which will resume on Monday (24 November). The opposition fears that the committee leadership may be attempting to influence the prosecution service. "I believe that from a certain point onwards, the prosecutor-general showed interest in these criminal cases – in determining the legal qualification of the acts of the accused, in concluding the proceedings swiftly regardless of the state of evidence, and in a particular way of deciding the merits," committee chair Richard Gluck (Smer-SD) read from the letter at the start of the session. He also informed the committee that Zilinka hadn't permitted Balogh to speak before the committee. Gluck noted that Balogh has stated in a further letter that he's currently seeking whistleblower status, adding that the letter is 15 pages long, and committee members will need time to familiarise themselves with it before any discussion. The session was therefore adjourned until Monday. Gluck said he would ask Maros Zilinka to allow the regional prosecutor to appear before the committee. He also defended his decision to suspend the meeting. The prosecutor-general denies the accusations. He described the statements in the letter as lies. "Never, never have we issued a negative instruction prohibited by law. That means: not to prosecute, not to request remand custody, not to indict, and so on. We've always reacted only to identified shortcomings," he stated. Zilinka explained that the head of the Zilina prosecutor's office will leave his post, but not because he, as a superior, wanted to interfere in cases. According to Zilinka, Balogh directly ordered an above-limit procurement of office furniture worth €150,000, failing to comply with the law. Zilinka also said he sees no reason for his subordinate from Zilina to appear before the committee. He believes committee chair Gluck has a conflict of interest, which Gluck rejects. The opposition criticised the committee leadership for convening such a session. Committee member Irena Bihariova (PS) considers the letter broadly worded. "It is neither our duty nor our right to conduct a cross-examination on an investigation," she stressed, indicating that she may not attend Monday's continuation. MP Juraj Krupa (SaS) sees the situation as an attempt to influence the prosecution service. "I also cannot understand why the session was adjourned, why we couldn't discuss at least some issues," he said. mf/df