President to Decide on Signing Penal Code Amendment around Christmas

(TA3,'V politike', 21 December) Speaking on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday, President Peter Pellegrini said that he'll make a decision on whether or not to sign an amendment to the Penal Code just before Christmas Eve or shortly after the Christmas holidays. The president will meet experts in the penal law and representatives of the judiciary over the issue next week and will strictly follow expert opinions when deciding on it. Pellegrini said that he wants to go through the law in detail, paragraph by paragraph, and make sure whether or not the concerns raised by those urging him not to sign the law are justified. "I reject any suggestion that this is about accommodating one side or the other," he said. Concerning the changes in the status of cooperating defendants, the president will ask the judiciary how it would interpret the specific provision, so that no person’s right to defend themselves in their own case is affected, while at the same time determining to what extent a cooperating defendant should or shouldn't be viewed as credible. Pellegrini also wants to know whether a change to the law could threaten the investigation into mafia murders or the uncovering of serious crimes. The president wishes that Slovakia doesn't return to the period between 2020-2023, when what he viewed as politically motivated prosecutions took place. Nevertheless, he isn't considering the fact whether the change to the law would affect House Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD). When vetoing the law on the Whistleblowers Protection Office's (UOO) transformation, the president claims that he didn't take the side of the police officers, known as the 'Curilla group'. He vetoed the law, since he objected the way in which the law was dealt with by Parliament and he had serious concerns that the European Commission might suspend EU funds for Slovakia. ko