PS: Police Launch Investigation into STVR-SFZ Licencing Deals (2)

Bratislava, 16 March (TASR) - The police have launched a criminal investigation into the signing of licensing agreements between public-broadcaster STVR and the Slovak Football Association (SFZ) that were signed by the broadcaster's interim director Igor Slanina shortly before he left the post, opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) chair Michal Simecka and vice-chair Zora Jaurova announced at a press conference on Monday. "These licences were often ten or even 20 times more expensive than the fees for which they had been sold in previous years. And to make matters worse, then acting director Slanina didn't have the authority to sign contracts worth more than €200,000, so he divided the package into 56 separate contracts in order to circumvent this rule," said Simecka. Representatives of PS therefore filed a criminal complaint last summer on suspicion that the crimes of breaching obligations in the administration of entrusted property and the misuse of power by a public official had been committed. "After a very thorough investigation during the preparatory proceedings, an investigator from the Bratislava Region Directorate of the Police Corps launched criminal proceedings on 3 March for both offences. This is good news especially for the Slovak people, because it shows that Slovak courts and the prosecution service are doing their job despite everything," said Jaurova. In response, head of the STVR press department Zuzana Vicelova claimed that STVR has acted in accordance with the law since the beginning and in full cooperation with law enforcement authorities. "At their request, it provided all relevant materials and documentation related to the contracts in question," Vicelova added. Vicelova also noted that STVR general director Martina Flasikova initiated a meeting with SFZ in August, requesting renewed negotiations of key contractual terms in order to streamline their content and optimise the use of financial resources. "The Slovak Football Association accommodated this initiative so that the situation could be managed with minimal disruptions. The relationship between STVR and the Slovak Football Association remains fair and professional," Vicelova added. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final three paragraphs mf