Sutaj Estok: Current Whistleblower Protection Authority Lacks Independence

Bratislava, 25 November (TASR) – The current Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers (UOO) has nothing to do with independence and acts as a "mouthpiece for the opposition", Voice-SD chair and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok declared on Tuesday. Sutaj Estok has submitted a bill to transform UOO and its operation. Speaking at a press conference, he said the existing law governing the office is flawed and that whistleblower protection has been granted without any possibility of review, for example by employers. Sutaj Estok accused the opposition of spreading fear and hatred with respect to the issue. "The form in which the office for the protection of whistleblowers of criminal activity exists today has absolutely nothing to do with independence," Sutaj Estok stated. "Protection can be granted without the possibility of review, for instance by the employer, creating an imbalance that led to ambiguities and allowed the office to interpret the law in whatever way it wished — always, of course, in its own favour. And there can be no talk of independence; it is a loud political mouthpiece of the opposition," he said. According to the Voice-SD leader, the legislative amendment introduces clear, fair and balanced rules. "The employer will, for example, be able to request a review of the protection granted within 15 days of the law taking effect. The employer will also have the right to request regular verification of whether the reasons for continuing protection still apply, because the current legislation did not sufficiently address situations where the circumstances of a case change over time," the minister explained. The new bill also stipulates that protection may be granted only if the disclosure has a direct material link to the employer. "The previous legal ambiguity negatively affected the employer's position. This led, with the cooperation of the current office leadership, to cases in which protection was granted not to those who legitimately reported criminal activity, but to those who were suspected of committing it and were thus protected," Sutaj Estok argued. He insisted the amendment is not targeting anyone. "But we will not hide the fact that the publicised cases surrounding the group of investigators known as the Curilla group exposed these shortcomings in the clearest possible way. Their case showed how whistleblower protection can be misused for another purpose," he said. The UOO previously fined the Interior Ministry for failing to respect the protected status of the police investigators centered around Jan Curilla. Parliament began debating on Tuesday a proposal to transform the UOO into a new Office for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Activity. Lawmakers are currently deciding only whether the bill will be discussed under fast-track procedure. The government approved the proposal over the weekend. The opposition rejects the bill, claiming the minister is using it to "heal his own wounds" and describing it as a law of revenge. It also sees no reason for fast-track proceedings. mf