KDH: Constitutional Court Confirms Validity of Objections to UOO Transformation

Bratislava, 17 December (TASR) - The Constitutional Court has confirmed that opposition objections to the abolition of the Whistleblower Protection Office (UOO) and the creation of a new Office for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Activity are justified, opposition's Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) press department told TASR on Wednesday. KDH spoke in response to Constitutional Court's decision earlier in the day to suspend effects of the law to abolish UOO as of January 1. "The Constitutional Court has suspended the effectiveness of the law abolishing the Whistleblower Protection Office, thereby confirming that our objections may be justified. Even fast-tracked legislative procedures and the bending of rules by this government have their limits. The rule of law cannot be built by circumventing laws and without respect for the basic principles of democracy," the Christian Democrats said. Earlier in the day, the Constitutional Court suspended the law's effectiveness at a closed-door session. It accepted in full a petition by a group of opposition members of Parliament for further proceedings. In their filing, the opposition argues a possible conflict between the legislation and the Constitution as well as European Union law, and also challenges the process of its adoption under a fast-tracked legislative procedure. MPs criticise, for example, the shortening of the term of office of the duly elected head of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers, as well as changes related to granting and reviewing whistleblower protection. The petition to the Constitutional Court was also supported by Public Ombudsman Robert Dobrovodsky, who fears irreversible interference with fundamental rights and freedoms. He sees the main problem in a provision allowing previously granted whistleblower protection to be reviewed at any time, which he says introduces unpredictability into the system. mf