Lajcak Denies Having Any Personal Benefit from His Contacts with Jeffrey Epstein

Bratislava, 21 December (TASR) - Premier Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) advisor Miroslav Lajcak has denied having any personal benefit from his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein. Lajak told TASR on Sunday that he hasn't accepted any loans or gifts from him and that such acceptance doesn't stem from the published communications, either. He declared that he acted in Slovakia’s interest and that his communication didn't go beyond the standard framework of contacts between a diplomat and an influential foreign partner. "The meeting at the residence in Vienna was of a working nature, like many other meetings I held there during my tenure as minister. It helped me obtain valuable information about the functioning of U.S. politics and business. Moreover, Slovakia was presiding over the OSCE that year, which is headquartered in Vienna, and one of the issues discussed at the time was the considerations about a possible U.S. withdrawal from the organisation," said the ex-minister of foreign affairs. According to Lajcak, part of a diplomat's job is to make use of all legitimate communication channels and contacts, both formal and informal. He added that he fully realizes that Epstein's name rightly provokes outrage and strong emotions today. "I have strongly and unequivocally condemned and continue to condemn the actions of Jeffrey Epstein. I've had absolutely nothing to do with any inappropriate activity," said Lajcak. The diplomat views it as tasteless to misuse, for the purposes of political rivalry, what were on his part standard diplomatic contacts with an individual who, at the time, was exceptionally close to U.S. political elites. In connection with the publication of new information in the Jeffrey Epstein case, the junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) on Saturday (20 December) called on Lajcak to disclose whether or not he had enjoyed financial benefits from Epstein, or whether he had received loans, money or any other gifts from him. Female opposition MPs also called for Lajcak's dismissal from the premier's advisor post in early December. MP Beata Jurik (Progressive Slovakia/PS) noted that the premier has no reason to wait any longer. According to Jurik, it cannot be ruled out that Epstein had his victims in Slovakia as well. "His plane landed in Bratislava and Poprad (Presov region) in 2018. We will therefore ask the competent authorities whether they have information that our female citizens could also have been victims and whether they are being provided with the necessary assistance and support," she said. The premier at a press conference following the EU summit in Brussels on Friday (19 December) responded that Lajcak is an excellent diplomat and continues to enjoy his trust. "If someone morally fails, give me evidence that they did something wrong and we'll end the cooperation. But I will not 'execute' people just because it is revealed that there was some kind of cooperation, or that someone saw someone somewhere," said Fico. The documents related to the late US financier, convicted of sexual crimes, were published in November. They included email communications allegedly exchanged between then Slovak foreign minister Lajcak and Epstein. Lajcak told TASR at that time that he engaged only in social communication with Epstein in the past as part of his diplomatic duties. New photos from Epstein's estate were released last week, with on of them showing the financier with Lajcak. ko