Remisova: MIRRI Firm Spends Over €700,000, With No Results

Bratislava, 2 March (TASR) - The Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatization (MIRRI) set up a state-owned company, MIRRI Developments, several months ago, which has so far produced no results but has already spent more than €700,000, with its business focus questionable and unrelated to MIRRI's activities, opposition MP Veronika Remisova ('Slovakia'-For the People) said on Monday. Remisova added that Investment Minister Samuel Migal (independent) should explain the reason for the company's existence. She is also filing a motion with the Supreme Audit Authority (NKU) to examine its financial management. Remisova said MIRRI Developments has a "very strange remit", as it operates in construction and real estate. "If you wanted to find out what the state company has done, you would find absolutely nothing in terms of results. But what is even more striking is that in just a few months this state company has managed to throw more than 700,000 euros out of the window," the MP calculated. She pointed in particular to a contract concluded by the state company with a real estate agency for consultancy services worth €258,000. "This consultancy is supposed to concern the real estate business. And I ask, why does a ministry that deals or is supposed to deal with informatization or EU funds, or possibly regional development, need consultancy in the field of real estate business?" Remisova asked. She also criticised the fact that the company's registered capital has already been increased by the state to 30 million euros, which may be lacking in the budget. In her view, Migal is failing in the core activities of his ministry. The absorption of EU funds is weak, informatization is collapsing and criminal proceedings are being conducted against the minister or the ministry, the opposition MP said. "We call on the minister to publish the outputs of these 'consultancy services'. What are the outputs for those 258,000 euros? At the same time, we are filing a motion with the NKU to examine the company's management," she added. According to MIRRI, MP Remisova's statements are once again merely an attempt to gain media attention. "The establishment and preparation of the activities of MIRRI Developments are related to the needs of the ministry and the fulfilment of the government's Manifesto. It is a separate accounting entity created with the aim of greater transparency and the possibility of effective control of specific activities it will carry out,” the ministry's press department said in response, adding that the company's activities are fundamentally linked to regional development. It stressed that the company is in the initial phase of building capacities, which also requires initial costs. MIRRI will publish details of individual activities after the preparatory phase is completed. "We are proceeding transparently, all contracts are released, therefore we welcome any possible inspection by the NKU and are fully prepared to cooperate. If the MP has any uncertainties, for example about what a framework contract means or how project investment preparation works, we will be happy to explain these processes to her in a factual and comprehensible manner," the ministry stated. According to the ministry, Remisova overlooked that MIRRI has investments directly in its name, and therefore also in its agenda. "The fact that Ms. Remisova apparently did not notice this is only proof of how she led this ministry for two years," it said. The ministry also recalled that during her tenure at MIRRI, Remisova also established a company, namely the Slovensko IT project. "It cost taxpayers millions of euros and ended as one big fiasco. Given this fact, we do not consider her assessments in this area to be relevant," the ministry added. mf