Prosecutors Council Backs Zilinka, Alarmed by Claims of Politicisation

Bratislava, 6 February (TASR) – The Slovak Prosecutors Council agrees with the assessment of Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka regarding the state of corruption investigations in Slovakia and is seriously alarmed by claims made by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and other politicians that the prosecution service has become involved in political struggle, council chair Stanislav Jakubcik told TASR on Friday. "In this context, the council considers it necessary to point out that as early as in December 2023 it strongly and in advance warned against the negative consequences of abolishing specialised anti-corruption bodies and bypassing expert discussion. We warned that adopting fundamental changes to criminal policy without proper preparation would lead to a weakening of the fight against serious organised crime," said Jakubcik. The chair added that the council stressed that media attacks aren't a tool of justice and that the Slovak legal system contains mechanisms for reviewing decisions by authorities. "The council therefore calls for criticism of prosecutors' decisions and procedures to be conducted in a factual, professional and decent manner, without personal insults or unfounded assumptions. Failure to respect these principles significantly undermines public trust in the rule of law, justice and the independence of the law-enforcement authorities," reads a statement. Prosecutor-General Zilinka said at a press conference on Wednesday (4 February) that the rate of prosecution of corruption in Slovakia has dropped significantly, with not a single corruption crime at the highest levels of the state uncovered in 2025. This was one of the issues discussed at his meeting with Prime Minister Fico earlier this week. 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 an upcoming report on the state of the rule of law. The head of the prosecution service also criticised changes to the Criminal Code and the reorganisation of the Police Corps. In response, Fico stated that Zilinka was interfering in political competition via improper statements. Zilinka's comments have also been criticised by other coalition politicians. mf/df