Monitor: Sutaj Estok: Whistleblower Protection Office Was Politically Misused

(STVR, 'Sobotne dialogy', 29 November) The Whistleblower Protection Office (UOO) has been politically misused, and the creation of a new, replacement authority aims to strengthen the protection of whistleblowers, leader of the Voice-SD party and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok declared on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues). MP for Progressive Slovakia (PS) Irena Bihariova, also on the show, considers the abolition of UOO and the establishment of a new institution to be purpose-built. "Whenever it comes to abolishing such supervisory, regulatory and state-power-limiting institutions, instead of evidence-based reasoning we hear a whole array of arguments listing grievances allegedly committed by the previous government," Bihariova said. Sutaj Estok is prepared to meet President Peter Pellegrini and clarify the reasons for scrapping UOO. The debate also touched on the Benes Decrees. According to Bihariova, PS does not seek to abolish them. It only wants the decrees, which remain part of Slovakia's legal framework, not to be applied in cases involving property confiscation based on collective guilt. "Given that their effects are now at odds with the principles of the rule of law and human rights, we do not apply them," she explained. The Interior Minister described statements by PS chair Michal Simecka on the Benes Decrees as "insane", adding that Simecka had opened a Pandora's box with this topic. Bihariova reminded him that Pellegrini had made similar statements about the decrees during the 2024 election campaign. "We promoted nothing other than what he himself said in the campaign. He even set up a working group for it. It is exactly the same," she said. According to the minister, the Constitutional Court functions with 12 judges, although ideally it would have its full complement of 13. The missing judge is an issue being addressed within coalition personnel negotiations. "We must find agreement on a name acceptable to all three partners. (…) On personnel matters, this coalition does not often reach consensus," he noted. Sutaj Estok stressed that this is a serious position that does not belong to any of the coalition parties and that the coalition is looking for an expert. Bihariova confirmed that PS always participates in elections when candidates are nominated, adding that the Constitutional Court should not serve as a retreat for burned-out and demotivated politicians. The case involving email communication between US businessman Jeffrey Epstein and adviser to the Prime Minister Miroslav Lajcak is and will remain the affair of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), Sutaj Estok said. In his view, it is Lajcak who should explain what he discussed with Epstein, as there are elements in the emails that are highly serious in relation to the fall of the government in 2018. Bihariova responded that while Slovakia spent months debating what should be embedded in the Constitution, the Prime Minister appears unconcerned that his adviser was in touch with a man convicted of sexual offences. mf