Gaspar: Changes to Law on Cooperating Defendants Don't Serve My Case

Bratislava, 17 December (TASR) – In an interview for TASR on Wednesday, House Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) rejected claims that Parliament approved changes to the institution of cooperating defendants for his personal benefit. Gaspar, who faces criminal charges, underlined that he doesn't need such a change for his own case and that the institution needs to be overhauled even further. The House vice-chair explained that legislation should specify the defined circumstances under which cooperation with a cooperating defendant must be terminated. "My case doesn't hinge on this," Gaspar told TASR. "My situation in the only remaining criminal case is such that I basically don't need this change. We have proven that the cooperating defendants on whom my charges are based – I stress, only those turncoat witnesses, with no documentary, material or other evidence – have already been shown to be lying in our case. I personally don't need the Criminal Procedure Code to say that if they lie in another case, they are unusable," he said in response to claims that the change will help him personally. Gaspar described it as absurd for statements by cooperating defendants to be treated as relevant and usable evidence. European legislation and rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, he said, show that such testimony must be verified and treated with caution. He added that there have been several rulings resulting in convictions based on the claims of a single witness. "There are many reasons why, in my view, the entire institution needs to be further amended and reworked. It has been grossly abused, recklessly and in the name of fighting the Smer political party and its nominees," he added. Responding to criticism from Progressive Slovakia (PS), Gaspar said the party was more troubled by new criminal offences concerning statements about the so-called Benes Decrees or about interference in elections by a foreign power. "Perhaps they fear that statements about the Benes Decrees will now be prosecuted. They won't be. These offences will apply from their adoption onwards, not retroactively. It will be up to them whether they continue to make such statements," said the vice-chair. mf/df