Opposition Slams Lack of Corruption Investigations, Urges Ministers to Resign

Bratislava, 4 February (TASR) – Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) and Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) should accept political responsibility for Slovakia holding back on its fight against corruption and resign, MP Gabor Grendel ('Slovakia'-For the People) declared at a press conference on Wednesday. 'For the People' party chair Veronika Remisova said that statistics on corruption prosecutions presented by Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka prove that the government has untied the hands of corruption. Meanwhile, the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party is initiating the convening of a special emergency parliamentary session so that the prosecutor-general can address the floor. The opposition representatives were responding to Zilinka's press conference on Wednesday. According to SaS, the presented data amounts to a clear indictment of the government for its failure in the fight against corruption. "The prosecutor-general openly confirmed that corruption is flourishing under this government and is everywhere," said party chair Branislav Groehling. "The information about the meeting between Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Prosecutor-General Zilinka holds up the worst possible mirror to the Fico government. The prosecutor-general confirmed what the opposition has been warning about from the start: that the state of the fight against corruption is catastrophic, the criminal law amendment and changes in the police are a failed experiment and, above all, under Fico they've begun to pretend that corruption doesn't exist," said Remisova, adding that the height of Fico's "brazen behaviour" came when he went to see Zilinka in order to ask the prosecution service to reconsider its stance. Grendel pointed out that the opposition has warned from the outset about the consequences of the legislative and organisational changes now confirmed by the prosecutor-general. According to Zilinka at his press conference on Wednesday, the rate of corruption prosecutions in Slovakia has fallen significantly, and not a single corruption offence at the highest levels of the state was uncovered in 2025. The head of the prosecution service also criticised changes to the Criminal Code and the reorganisation of the Police Corps. The issue was discussed at this week's meeting between Zilinka and Prime Minister Fico. At the meeting, the prime minister expressed disagreement with the stance of the Prosecutor-General's Office on the assessment of the fight against corruption in a upcoming rule of law report. mf/df