PS Calls on President to Veto Penal Code Amendment

Bratislava, 15 December (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has called on President Peter Pellegrini to return to Parliament an amendment to the Penal Code that MPs approved last week. The amendment includes a change to the institution of cooperating defendant. According to its leader Michal Simecka, PS is ready to appeal to the Constitutional Court over the amendment. "The state will essentially tie its own hands when it comes to prosecuting mafia members, even the classic 'thick-necked' mafia members of the 1990s. This means a resurgence of crime. I don't know of any other government in the world that would take measures in Parliament to help crime. We're unique in this respect, and I don't believe that this is what Smer voters want," said the PS leader at a press conference on Monday. "I'm convinced that even Peter Pellegrini's voters want security in their homes and don't want mafia groups to grow here again. They want the state to have the tools to prosecute them," added Simecka. If the president doesn't return the new legislation to the House, PS will appeal to the Constitutional Court. "If he doesn't do so himself, we'll file a motion with the Constitutional Court. If he vetoes the bill, we'll wait to see if and when Parliament overrides the president's veto, and if that happens, our petition will go to the Constitutional Court, as it will if he signs the law now," stated Simecka. am/df