Prosecutor-General Zilinka Rejects Claims of Political Interference (2)

Bratislava, 5 February (TASR) – Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka on Wednesday rejected claims by coalition politicians that the prosecution service has entered politics. Speaking during question time in Parliament, Zilinka also dismissed claims that the prosecution service is responsible for a decline in the detection of corruption. Zilinka described statements by some politicians as a mockery of professional expertise. "A prosecutor supervises the observance of legality before the initiation of a criminal prosecution and during pre-trial proceedings," he said, adding that prosecution bodies fulfil their duties in this respect. However, they have no influence over the detection of crime, which is the task of the police. Zilinka also rejected political statements accusing the prosecution service of joining politics on the side of the opposition. Zilinka defended Bratislava region prosecutor Rastislav Remeta, who has faced criticism from Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) for the press conference on Thursday at which Remeta presented information on investigations into the donation of military equipment to Ukraine. Some coalition politicians, including Fico, criticised representatives of the prosecution service on Wednesday (4 February) and again on Thursday. In response to Remeta's press conference, Fico said that Remeta was trying to present himself to the opposition as a good candidate for the next prosecutor-general. According to some coalition representatives, the outcome of corruption prosecutions are a reflection of the prosecution service itself. Earlier on Thursday, Remeta said that law-enforcement authorities have halted three out of four criminal proceedings related to the assistance provided to Ukraine during the previous electoral term. Cases involving the donation of MiG-29 fighters, the S-300 air-defence system and the termination of a contract with a Russian company providing maintenance for the fighters were closed either by discontinuing the criminal investigations or by rejecting criminal complaints. The police are continuing to investigate a handover of technical documentation to Ukraine's military attache. Zilinka said on Wednesday that the rate of corruption prosecution in Slovakia has fallen significantly and that not a single corruption crime was uncovered at the highest levels of the state in 2025. This was also one of the issues discussed at his meeting with Fico this week at which the prime minister expressed disagreement with the stance of the Prosecutor-General’s Office on an assessment of the fight against corruption in an upcoming rule of law report. The head of the prosecution service also criticised amendments to the Criminal Code and the reorganisation of the police force. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final two paragraphs mf/df