Ministry Files Criminal Complaint against PS for Defamation in X-Rock Project

Bratislava, 5 June (TASR) - The Education Ministry is filing a criminal complaint against MPs for the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party for defamation and false accusations, Ministry State Secretary Robert Zsembera told a press conference on Friday in response to statements made by PS on Thursday (4 June) regarding the X-Rock scientific project and the allocation of EU funds. PS has also announced that it will file a criminal complaint. The ministry spoke of half-truths, misrepresentation and lies. "I want to announce that we're filing a criminal complaint against MPs of Progressive Slovakia on suspicion of the crime of defamation as well as false accusations. I'm stating this very clearly," said Zsembera. The state secretary reiterated that the success of the project submitted by Kosice Technical University (TUKE) - specifically its Faculty of Mining - was decided by pre-determined strict criteria and an expert evaluation. The project ranked ninth out of 83 participating projects, receiving a score of 14.5 out of a possible 15 points from two independent evaluators. Both evaluators, one Slovak and one Czech, recommended the project. The ministry denied any interference in the selection of evaluators or the allocation of grants. It also rejected any doubts concerning the partners involved in the project. According to the Education Ministry, these partners are certified to conduct research and were evaluated by different evaluators than those who assessed the project itself. According to the ministry, this wasn't a targeted subsidy but competitive funding, and TUKE - which it considers to be one of the leading institutions of technical education in Europe - was also eligible to apply for funding. The application was submitted by the rector; the funds go to the university, not to an individual, and the use of the funds will be strictly monitored. The Education Ministry didn't see any room for speculators in this call for proposals funded by the Slovakia Programme. According to TUKE, the project has been underway since 2025, and the individual activities are scheduled to run until December 2029. The project also includes quarterly reports submitted to the supervisory authorities. An annual monitoring report was also prepared at the end of the year. The opposition PS party reported on Thursday that it will file a criminal complaint regarding the X-rock project, which gained support from the Education Ministry and is worth €10 million. The party is also demanding an immediate halt to the project, answers from Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) and an investigation into the case by the relevant authorities. am/df