SNS Calls for Dismissal of Chief-of-General-Staff of Slovak Armed Forces Zmeko

Bratislava, 7 February (TASR) - The Slovak National Party (SNS) has called for the dismissal of Chief-of-General-Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Daniel Zmeko, appealing to Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to submit the proposal to President Peter Pellegrini, TASR was told by party spokeswoman Zuzana Skopcova on Saturday. The call is related to the dropping of criminal proceedings in the case of the donation of MiG-29 fighters and the S-300 air-defence system. SNS claims that the criminal proceedings were halted also based on repeated statements by the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces, according to which Slovakia didn't suffer any damage and the donated military equipment was classified as surplus property. "It's an indisputable fact that if Defence Minister Robert Kalinak [Smer-SD] publicly expressed his disagreement with the suspension of criminal proceedings in this case, it's inconceivable that the president wouldn't act and leave Daniel Zmeko in the post of Chief-of-General-Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces," stressed the party. According to SNS, Zmeko, as Chief-of-General-Staff, provided assistance in evaluating and assessing the donation of the military equipment. "It's therefore understandable that he can't take a position that could lead to the restoration or intensification of criminal proceedings against his subordinates or against himself," noted Skopcova. The President's Office told TASR that Zmeko's term ends in May this year. "If he loses the confidence of the defence minister before then and the government submits a motion for his dismissal, the president will deal with such a motion," it said. The law-enforcement authorities have dropped three out of four criminal investigations related to the aid given to Ukraine during the previous parliamentary term. By discontinuing criminal investigations or rejecting criminal complaints, they halted cases concerning the donation of MiG-29 fighters and the S-300 air-defence system along with the termination of a contract with a Russian company providing maintenance for the fighters. The police are still investigating the handover of technical documentation to Ukraine's military attache. The Defence Ministry announced that it'll file a motion to review the decision. The regional prosecutor's office stands by its conclusions. am