Opposition to Appeal to Constitutional Court over Bill Establishing New Office

Bratislava, 9 December (TASR) - The opposition will turn to the Constitutional Court regarding the law to establish a new office replacing the current Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO), once again criticising the law and stating that it will destroy the independence of the office, opposition MPs stated on Tuesday following the vote in which Parliament approved the law. The opposition parties also pointed to a possible conflict with the Constitution and European law, and they called on President Peter Pellegrini to veto the bill. "A motion will be immediately submitted to the Constitutional Court before, as I firmly believe, the president [Peter Pellegrini] vetoes it, so that the Constitutional Court can review this matter as soon as possible. It will be a motion from Progressive Slovakia (PS) and other opposition MPs," said PS leader Michal Simecka, expressing reservations about the legislative process. "They had to rush through the law scrapping the Whistleblowers Protection Office in order to take revenge on its chairwoman, and they had to break all parliamentary rules," he stated. The Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party also criticised the law again, calling on the Slovak head of state not to sign it and to send it back to Parliament for further discussion. "Fico's governing coalition is losing all restraint. On International Anti-Corruption Day, they approved a clearly pro-corruption law. They cut the debate short twice and didn't allow MPs to voice their objections. This law is bad ... An independent office is being abolished, and its chairwoman is being dismissed, thereby calling into question the independence of this institution. The protection of whistleblowers is being weakened, the protection of crime victims is being weakened, and it will be possible to reassess protection that has already been provided," said MP Ondrej Dostal (SaS). The 'Slovakia' party expressed its disagreement with the bill as well, also objecting to the legislative process. It stated that the government has absolutely no shame when it comes to the way in which it holds debates, ignoring the proper legislative process. "They are breaking all the processes, all the institutions in Slovakia that uphold democracy," said chairman of the 'Slovakia'-'For the People' caucus Michal Sipos, describing the approval of the bill as a black day for democracy. The Christian Democrats (KDH) consider the coalition's vote to be a slap in the face of all those who have stood up against corruption. "We believe that the president won't sign this legislation, and we're also adding our signatures to the motion to the Constitutional Court," added Marian Caucik (KDH). am/df