Gaspar: Simeckova Taking Advantage of Colleague to Shirk Responsibility

Bratislava, 30 April (TASR) – The head of civil association Projekt Forum, Marta Simeckova, took advantage of her colleague Andrea Pukova and shifted full responsibility for a subsidies scandal onto her, Parliamentary Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) declared at a press conference on Thursday. Gaspar also pointed to the alleged falsification of accounting documents and the drawing of COVID subsidies. Gaspar stressed that falsified bank statements can be used for various purposes. "Bank statements that you falsify and then have to submit, for example, when applying for a subsidy, can be considered forged documents, for which the provider shouldn't grant you any subsidy at all," he said. The MP also claimed that statements of accounts submitted by the association to the state for 2020-2022 contain altered amounts. Some withdrawals were allegedly deleted, while different names were added to certain transfers. "This resembles classic tax fraudsters and VAT scammers," added Gaspar. He also referred to a €50,000 subsidy for Projekt Forum from the Justice Ministry in 2021. Gaspar noted that the COVID crisis peaked that year and the state was under an emergency. "Of course, the money came only so that Marta Simeckova could survive that year in Projekt Forum without harm, despite many people not receiving such help from the state and having to shutter their businesses, while the non-profit Projekt Forum received €50,000 from the Justice Ministry alone," he said. Gaspar also criticised the fact that Simeckova didn't submit the association's accounts for 2018 and 2019, which were allegedly stolen. Complete accounts would, in his view, reveal who was financed through Projekt Forum, who received payments and what expenditures were covered from funds intended exclusively for organising an international conference. "Simeckova is a citizen who entered into a financial relationship with the state, a long-term recipient of taxpayers' money in the form of various subsidies and grants. These are funds belonging to all of us, and it appears this was done through subsidy fraud. Therefore, yes, this must interest the public, especially as it concerns a close relative of the chairman of Progressive Slovakia," said Gaspar. A government audit into the use of public subsidies found shortcomings in civil association Projekt Forum, where Simeckova — the mother of opposition Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Simecka – serves as statutory head. In March, police launched new criminal proceedings against Projekt Forum on the suspicion of subsidy fraud. Simeckova has responded by saying that she's never enriched herself through the association. On the contrary, she claims she went into debt to sustain the project. She also admitted neglecting administrative matters in the association but said that she's prepared to face the legal consequences. mf/df