Ministry: Civil Code Amendment Nothing to Do with Sutaj Estok's Dispute

Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) – A proposed amendment to the Civil Litigation Code doesn't have the potential to change the outcome of the personal legal dispute of Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD), said the Interior Ministry on Thursday in response to criticism from opposition MP Ondrej Dostal (SaS), who suggested that the draft legislation could be linked to the minister's case. According to the ministry, the dispute with the group of police officers centered around Jan Curilla has already taken place and was assessed under current legislation, with a default judgment also issued in the case. "However, many other individuals have experienced similar situations in which such judgments were issued despite them having no real knowledge of the proceedings. Eliminating and systemically addressing such cases in the future is the main objective of the submitted proposal," the ministry stated. The ministry therefore proposes introducing a special system for delivering default judgments in cases in which the defendant is a person without legal representation. "The purpose of the proposed amendment is to strengthen the procedural position of ordinary people who don't have professional legal representation, while taking into account the serious consequences that default judgments entail for them," it explained. By contrast, for defendants such as the state, public authorities or legal entities, the current method of electronic notification would be retained. "This approach is based on their legal obligation to communicate with public authorities electronically," the stated ministry. In practical terms, this would mean that a party to proceedings without legal representation would receive a default judgment in person. "At the same time, the rule remains that a document is considered to have been delivered even if the recipient doesn't collect it within the prescribed storage period. These changes apply only to the delivery of default judgments, while other communication will remain in electronic form," the ministry added. Dostal announced on Wednesday that he'll file a motion with the parliamentary conflicts of interest committee against Sutaj Estok. He suspects that the minister prioritised his private interest over the public one when the Interior Ministry commented on the amendment to the Civil Litigation Code and wording concerning the minister's legal disputes was included in the proposal. The government approved the draft amendment to the Civil Litigation Code last Tuesday. Under the proposal, courts would have the option, rather than the obligation, to issue a default judgment at a hearing granting a claim if the defendant fails to appear despite being duly and timely summoned. A similar adjustment is proposed for cases in which the claimant is absent. The delivery of default judgments to electronic mailboxes is also set to be revised. Last year, Sutaj Estok lost a court case against the group of police officers, who investigated high-profile corruption cases in the past. He must publicly apologise to them for comparing them to convicted crime boss and multiple murderer Mikulas Cernak. He's also required to pay six officers a total of €90,000 in damages, along with legal costs and late payment interest. On 11 November 2025, the officers' lawyer Peter Kubina said on social media that Sutaj Estok hadn't been collecting his electronic mail and had therefore lost the case by default. Kubina added that distraint proceedings are currently under way, with a bailiff having frozen funds in the minister's account to cover the compensation. Sutaj Estok responded at the time by saying that he stood by his statements. mf/df