Economy Ministry Examining Personal Data Leak, Cooperating with Relevant Bodies

Bratislava, 23 March (TASR) - The Economy Ministry has declared that it's thoroughly examining the situation regarding the leak of people's personal data from its records and is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities. The ministry said that it's been in contact with the National Security Bureau (NBU) and has ordered an expert examination in this regard. "The results of this examination will be forwarded to the law-enforcement authorities. If necessary, all legal means will be used to hold accountable those who may have erred or engaged in unlawful conduct," stated the ministry. "The Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party has publicly announced today that it's in possession of material that was apparently obtained in unlawful manner. We believe that it's fulfilled all legal obligations arising from such a situation and that, in addition to the political use of this issue, it's also taken concrete steps to protect the individuals whose personal data it allegedly holds," said the ministry. At the same time, it expects SaS to hand over the entire USB data carrier, along with the envelope in question, to the law-enforcement authorities as part of the criminal complaint, in an intact condition for expert examination. SaS representatives told a news conference earlier on Monday that a list containing the personal data of people who had requested to be excluded from the new energy aid scheme has probably been leaked from the Economy Ministry. The list, which wasn't password-protected, includes the names and personal identification numbers of some 20,000 individuals. SaS representatives described the leak as scandalous, calling on Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) to explain it as soon as possible and to take personal responsibility for it. SaS leader Branislav Groeling described the situation as just another piece of evidence of the long-term chaos at the Economy Ministry. "Over the past two and a half years, we've witnessed one failure after another. The leak of the personal identification numbers of 20,000 people is absolutely unacceptable," he stressed, calling on the economy minister to explain the situation immediately. "At the same time, we'll file a criminal complaint and will consider initiating a no-confidence motion in her [Sakova]," added Groehling. ko/df