Kalinak: Defence Ministry Has Filed Dozens of Corruption Complaints

Bratislava, 4 February (TASR) – The Defence Ministry has filed dozens of complaints related to corruption, but a number of them have been halted by the prosecution service, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) claimed on Wednesday. Kalinak said this in response to criticism from Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka, who at a press conference earlier on Wednesday pointed to a decline in the rate of corruption investigations. Sport Minister Rudolf Huliak (Independent) reacted similarly after a session of the government. Kalinak added that Zilinka had guaranteed in a statement that the abolition of the Special Prosecutor's Office wouldn't affect investigations into corruption. "You've heard it in the past as well, when we clearly said that we believe some submissions are being halted by the prosecution for absolutely incomprehensible reasons," said Kalinak. Huliak believes that the prosecutor-general was merely presenting his own work. "Mr. Zilinka has had so many initiatives and so many criminal complaints, including from us in the government and from everyone regarding corruption. The prosecution service has done nothing with them," he claimed. According to Zilinka, the prosecution rate for corruption in Slovakia has fallen significantly, and not a single corruption offence at the highest levels of the state was uncovered in 2025. This was one of the issues raised at this week's meeting between Zilinka and Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). The prime minister expressed disagreement with the stance of the Prosecutor-General's Office on the assessment of the fight against corruption within the prepared report on the state of the rule of law, said Zilinka. The head of the prosecution service also criticised changes to the Criminal Code and the reorganisation of the Police Corps. mf/df