'Slovakia' and KDH View SIS Head Gaspar's Fine as Insufficient

Bratislava, 5 March (TASR) - The opposition 'Slovakia' party considers President Peter Pellegrini's decision regarding Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) head Pavol Gaspar to be insufficient, as the situation should have carried much more serious political consequences, while the Christian Democrats (KDH) dismissed the fine imposed on Gaspar as mockery of the Slovak people, TASR reported on Thursday. "Gaspar should have stepped down the moment he fabricated the story about a Georgian coup," stressed MP Gabor Grendel ('Slovakia'-'For the People' caucus) [In January 2025, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) accused the Georgian National Legion and its leader Mamuk Mamulashvili of involvement in public protests in Slovakia - ed. note]. "As he failed to do so, Peter Pellegrini bears full political responsibility for everything Pavol Gaspar does as SIS chief," added Grendel. The party added that the leadership of the state's security forces must be based on credibility, professionalism, and accountability. KDH views the fine as "laughing in the faces of all people in Slovakia", calling it ridiculous. "A one-off 15-percent pay cut from a salary that is, by the way, higher than that of an MP, is ridiculous," stated KDH vice-chair Marian Caucik, adding that the moral damage caused should also have been assessed. "Had he been fined 15 percent of every salary during his public service career, or perhaps of the first pillar [pay-as-you-go] of his pension, that might have been an adequate sanction suggesting that they take elitism seriously," added Caucik. On Thursday, opposition parties Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and Progressive Slovakia (PS) have also criticised Pellegrini for his decision, saying that the president is making a martyr out of the SIS head and that Gaspar "must be having a great laugh". Pellegrini announced that he's concluded disciplinary proceedings against Gaspar, imposing a 15-percent salary deduction for a period of one month. The president added that he saw no reason to take further action in connection with a motion filed by the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, noting there is no legislation prohibiting a head of the SIS from having tattoos. Gaspar was involved in a traffic accident on Dobsinskeho Street in Nitra on 30 August 2025, when two vehicles collided. Both participants in the traffic accident underwent breathalyser tests for alcohol with negative results. The president, as an authority superior to the SIS head, launched the disciplinary proceedings in January. jrg/df