Voice: Whistleblower Protection Transformation Brings No Major Technical Changes

Bratislava, 30 December (TASR) – The abolition of the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) and the setting up of a successor organisation don't entail technically demanding changes, as UOO has its own apparatus that will be transferred to the new office, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) has stated in his year-end interview for TASR. "Even now UOO itself has a relatively large base of officials and a generous budget that was to a large extent built on support from various non-governmental organisations, so those funds may now be used for a more sensible agenda, such as protecting the victims of criminal offences," he said. Sutaj Estok noted that appointing the interim leadership of the new office falls under the remit of House chair Richard Rasi (Voice-Social Democracy). He added that it's Rasi's decision and that he hasn't discussed any nominations with him. The Act on the Office for the Protection of Victims of Criminal Offences and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Activities, which was to replace the current UOO as of 1 January, was approved by Parliament in December despite President Pellegrini's veto. However, the Constitutional Court suspended the effects of the legislation on 17 December. It accepted in full a motion submitted by a group of opposition MPs for further proceedings. In their submission, the opposition objected to a possible conflict between the law and the Slovak Constitution as well as with EU law, and also to the fact that it was adopted via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. mf/df