Interior Ministry Views Opposition's Call for Inquiry as Political Trick (2)

Bratislava, 15 January (TASR) - The Interior Ministry rejected the claims made by the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and 'Slovakia' parties in connection with the purchase of fire engines, describing the allegations as untrue and misleading, according to a statement provided by Interior Ministry's spokesperson Matej Neumann on Thursday. He stated that the purchase was lawful and that the opposition was trying to cast doubt on it, while intentionally staging a political attack on Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) without any substantive or factual evidence. The opposition's call for a parliamentary inquiry is viewed by the ministry as another political trick. "After today's press conferences by 'Slovakia' and SaS, the President of the Fire and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) directly showed the delivered vehicles to the MPs on site and explained all technical and expert questions. The MPs personally inspected the vehicles and were allowed to check their quality," stated the ministry's spokesperson, adding that all doubts raised at the press conferences were clearly answered and refuted. "Therefore, we do not view the announced parliamentary inquiry as an effort for an objective audit, but as another calculated political trick and media spectacle that has nothing to do with facts or lawfulness of the procurement," stressed Neumann. SaS calls for a parliamentary inquiry regarding the purchase of fire engines by the Interior Ministry and pointed to doubts concerning the transparency of the tender, the technical quality of the vehicles, and their actual value. The purchase was also criticised by the 'Slovakia' party, saying that firefighters are experiencing problems. President of the Fire and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) Adrian Mifkovic denied any technical problems and added that the vehicles are being delivered as agreed. According to the opposition, the original framework agreement clearly stated that new and unused vehicles were to be delivered. However, in an amendment to the agreement, the word 'new' disappeared. Based on the available vehicle identification numbers (VIN), the vehicles are models whose production ended in 2020. After the press conference of the 'Slovakia' party, HaZZ President Mifkovic explained the circumstances of the purchase to journalists. "Everything we ordered is installed, that is, every item published in the contract including its specification," stated Mifkovic, adding that he has no problem showing all specifications directly in the vehicles. According to him, the vehicles are being delivered gradually, while training is already underway. Mifkovic assured that all 80 vehicles will be delivered. He also emphasised that the vehicles were procured and used in line with the applicable legislation and all internal regulations. "There's no reason for doubt or speculation. All information regarding this vehicle is traceable and transparent," Mifkovic stated in a statement provided to TASR by HaZZ Presidium spokesperson Zuzana Gegussova. So far, twenty-nine 1B-category Scania vehicles have been delivered and accepted, as well as distributed to regional directorates of the Fire and Rescue Corps, stated Mifkovic. According to him, they are fit for use on public roads and for fulfilling HaZZ's tasks. He assured that the deliveries of the vehicles are proceeding in accordance with the approved schedule. "Our goal is transparency and public trust. That's also why we consider it important to clearly refute these doubts," concluded Mifkovic. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final four paragraphs. jrg