PG's Office Initiates Procedure Due to Piping Reconstruction at Trencin Hospital

Bratislava, 20 January (TASR) - The Prosecutor-General's Office (PG) has issued an order to initiate criminal proceedings due to the reconstruction of the pipelines at Trencin Faculty Hospital, PG spokesperson Zuzana Drobova told TASR on Tuesday. It was the Jan Kuciak Investigative Centre (ICJK) that drew attention to the case. "A prosecutor of the Prosecutor-General's Office has issued an order to initiate criminal proceedings in this criminal case. Due to the closed nature of the preliminary proceedings, it isn't possible to provide any further information," said Drobova. In 2024, ICJK raised suspicions that the company had faked the implementation of a contract for reconstructing water distribution systems at the hospital worth almost €5 million and hadn't replaced the distribution systems. This could have been one of the reasons why health inspectors discovered increased levels of Legionella bacteria in the hospital. The opposition also criticised the situation at the hospital. The centre stated that a Trencin investigator had rejected a criminal motion. According to statements made at the time by the Trencin hospital, the reconstruction of the boiler room and external heating and hot water distribution systems was carried out in accordance with the concession agreement and the submitted project documentation. am/df