UIS's Complaint over Lawyer Kubina's Social Media Statements Dismissed by SAK

Bratislava, 10 April (TASR) - The Slovak Bar Association (SAK) has dismissed as unfounded the complaint filed by the Internal Affairs Inspectorate (UIS) against lawyer Peter Kubina over his social media statements, according to a post published by Kubina on a social network on Friday in which he included a decision taken by the SAK Supervision Committee. In the decision, SAK stated that the intensity of Kubina's statements wasn't such that it would undermine the dignity of the legal profession, nor could his statements be perceived as conduct disrupting the independence of UIS or its officers. "The SAK Supervision Committee always assesses the public statements of lawyers on a case-by-case basis, and in this case, the form and content of the lawyer's published remarks didn't reach the intensity of a disciplinary offence," explained SAK. Last year, UIS filed a complaint with SAK, requesting a review of Kubina's statements posted on social media, which, according to UIS, exceeded the bounds of restraint and professional conduct. Kubina later stated that he viewed the complaint as an attempt to intimidate him for carrying out his professional duties. He also pledged to cooperate fully with the competent SAK authorities. Kubina represents a group of police officers centered around Jan Curilla who investigated high-profile corruption cases in the past and now face prosecution for allegedly misusing the powers of a public official. jrg/df