Ferencak: Leaked Video Recording Aimed at Criminalising Me

Bratislava, 25 March (TASR) - MP and Mayor of Kezmarok Jan Ferencak stated on TA3 television on Wednesday that the leaked video recording, in which he is seen handing over a considerable amount of cash, was part of a targeted effort to criminalise him. Ferencak, who has been expelled from the governing Voice-SD party, claimed that the operation is being orchestrated by Internal Affairs Inspectorate (UIS) head Branislav Zurian, who is acting on the orders of Interior Minister and Voice-SD leader Matus Sutaj Estok. The video shows Ferencak in a garage handing over €45,000 in cash to an unidentified person, with a further €75,000 to be paid by bank transfer. Ferencak explained that it was a loan which has not yet been repaid. "At that moment, this person wanted a loan from me. I gave him the loan, and since he had no money, he was also selling a project which I purchased through a company - that was the €75,000. It was paid on 9 September 2023," said Ferencak, adding that the person in the video subsequently blackmailed him. Ferencak stressed that he can prove all these matters "without any problem" and he accused Sutaj Estok of abusing his power, stating that as long as he is Interior Minister, he does not feel safe in the country. "I don't trust the police with Matus Sutaj Estok at the helm," he said, adding that he would vote in favour of any no-confidence motion against the government because Sutaj Estok is part of it. When asked if he planned to resign as an MP, he said: "This is exactly what the people doing this to me want. Being a constitutional official is the only thing protecting me." Regarding claims by the extra-parliamentary Democrats party about his "million-euro" assets, he stated that he had earned a million in income prior to entering politics in 2014. Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) declined to comment in detail after the government's away-from-home session held in Velke Zaluzie. "Let the chips fall where they may," he stated. "If someone has committed a crime, it's the duty of law enforcement authorities to act," he said, adding that questions regarding Ferencak should be directed to the Voice-SD party. Investment Minister and former Voice-SD member Samuel Migal (Independent) hopes that Ferencak will explain the details and that the police would investigate the case. However, he described the timing of the events following Ferencak's expulsion from Voice-SD as "strange". Education Minister and Voice-SD vice-chair Tomas Drucker stated that Ferencak's case must be investigated and clarified by the police. "From what I've seen in the media, it doesn't look good at all," he said regarding the video, adding that Sutaj Estok has clearly rejected Ferencak's account of the events. After leaving the Voice-SD parliamentary caucus at the end of 2025, Ferencak was expelled from the party last week. On Wednesday, he reiterated that he no longer feels bound by the coalition agreement or the government manifesto. jrg