Opposition: House Passed Bill to Help Criminals Stay Beyond Reach of Law

Bratislava, 11 December (TASR) – The Criminal Code amendment approved by Parliament on Thursday is intended to guarantee impunity for criminals and the governing coalition is rushing laws to benefit corrupt officials and those who embezzle state resources, representatives of the opposition declared. The opposition's chants and whistles during the parliamentary vote were described by some as a "state of emergency". "Everything that happened during this electoral term led to this moment from the perspective of Mr. Gaspar. He wanted to insert a 'mafia clause' into this law – an amendment allowing individuals involved in serious criminal activity or organized crime to remain unpunished," House vice-chair Martin Dubeci of Progressive Slovakia (PS) told reporters. The opposition repeatedly claimed the amendment was designed to assist the indicted House vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD). "There are moments when one must speak up. I'd call it a minor state of emergency; we needed to voice our opposition clearly. This is entirely the result of the government coalition, which knows very well it is pushing the limits and knows very well it is violating parliamentary norms," Dubeci added. The coalition also scheduled for debate a vetoed bill to transform the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers (UOO) into a new authority. The debate is expected to continue through Thursday night. "This is a night of mafia-style coup, literally what the government coalition is staging. Laws are not being made to help citizens; they are being made for mafias, corrupt officials, and embezzlers who want to control the country," SaS leader Branislav Groehling said. "There are limits to what we can tolerate, and tonight clearly exceeds them. This evening will be remembered in Slovak history for what the coalition is capable of. Today, the government rolled out the red carpet for the mafia and organized crime, and these people will be celebrating with champagne," KDH leader Milan Majersky added. Members of the 'Slovakia' – For the People caucus criticised the changes affecting cooperating defendants, viewing it as an amnesty for Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD). "We used all opposition tools available to us to prevent them from dragging Slovakia towards Moscow," said caucus leader Michal Sipos. Parliament approved the amendment during an expedited legislative process, incorporating several changes added on Thursday morning during committee discussions. The legislation also adjusts the system for cooperating defendants. mf