Susko Perceives Zilinka's Decision to Reassign Case as Response to Failure

Bratislava, 17 March (TASR) – Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) views Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka's decision to replace the supervising prosecutor in the Cooperating Defendant case and to remove the case from the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Trnava as a response to the prosecutor's previous conduct. "I see it as having likely been assessed as a miscue that needs to be corrected," said Susko ahead of the cabinet session on Tuesday, suggesting that the supervising prosecutor's incorrect procedure may have undermined the work of the police internal affairs team. "We'll see how this plays out," he added, stating that he respects the decision of the regional court. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) said in response to the prosecution of the police officers centered around Jan Curilla that they are "no heroes" and face charges of particularly serious crimes. "If the supervising prosecutor made a mistake, as assessed by the regional court, and failed to submit a motion to the relevant court, then that is a matter that the prosecution must address," he said. Sutaj Estok added that the Veritas investigative team has carried out numerous actions over the past year and compiled a file of more than 100 pages describing the activities of the Curilla group. Regarding the legislative form used to repeal the law abolishing the Whistleblower Protection Office (UOO), which has been suspended by the Constitutional Court, Sutaj Estok said that he sees no issue with it being passed as a 'rider' attached to another bill. "It's the fastest and most effective way," he argued, calling it a technical matter. Susko also rejected speculation that he's considering running for a post as a Constitutional Court judge. "As the title of one James Bond movie says, never say never [sic], but it isn't a matter of the day," he said. The Cooperating Defendant case will now be supervised and handled by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Banska Bystrica. Zilinka decided to reassign the case from the Trnava office and announced the move on social media. "At the same time, the regional prosecutor in Trnava will assess whether the subordinate prosecutor who had been acting so far breached service duties in a way that could give rise to disciplinary liability," added Zilinka. As part of Operation Cooperating Defendant, the Internal Affairs Inspectorate on 3 March detained and charged four current and two former police officers, along with one prosecutor. They face charges of extortion and misusing the powers of a public official, allegedly committed in an organised manner. A prosecutor sought pre-trial detention for Jan C. and Pavol D [name abbreviated due to legal reasons]. However, Bratislava City Court released the pair from custody on 6 March, stating that the Trnava Regional Prosecutor's Office had filed the detention motion with a court lacking jurisdiction. The regional court upheld that reasoning following an appeal by the prosecutor. mf/df