House Committee Rejects Probe into Social-insurer SP

Bratislava, 12 February (TASR) – The House committee for social affairs on Thursday rejected a proposal by MP Simona Petrik (opposition Progressive Slovakia) to conduct a parliamentary inquiry into social-insurer Socialna poistovna (SP). Petrik defended the motion by citing suspicions of overpriced and problematic purchases or leases at SP branches. She had previously raised the concerns, noting that doubts emerged at roughly the same time at branches in Zilina and Nitra. According to the MP, this isn't an isolated failure; it could represent a systemic problem, which is why she viewed a parliamentary inquiry as necessary. She also pointed to the institution's financial management, saying that SP has long been running losses amounting to billions of euros. Committee chair Jan Richter (Smer-SD) said that he accepted an offer for a consultation and meeting with SP general director Michal Tarisko. The consultation took place outside the committee session, he added. The opposition doesn't consider such a procedure to be sufficient and insists that issues related to financial management and investments should be discussed at an official committee session. SP has rejected the criticism, claiming that opposition MPs haven't taken the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the investment details at the institution itself. According to the agency, the opposition's lack of interest in an offered presentation at its headquarters indicates that it's pursuing interests other than the public one. SP spokesperson Martin Kontur said on Thursday that the entire process had been transparent, professionally prepared and in line with the law. "SP as a public institution firmly rejects attempts to drag it into politics. It's acted transparently, lawfully, professionally and in the interests of its clients. We regret that a substantial investment is being turned into a political affair regardless of the facts," said Kontur. mf/df