Ministry Rejects PS's Claims Concerning Deployment of Russian Monitoring System

Bratislava, 5 August (TASR) - The Interior Ministry rejects the claims made by the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party regarding the alleged deployment of a Russian-made traffic-monitoring system and the granting of access to the ministry's databases to Russia, ministry's spokesperson Matej Neumann told TASR on Wednesday, adding that not a single piece of relevant evidence has been presented to support these extremely serious allegations. The Interior Ministry stated that the equipment in question is not a product of a Russian manufacturer, a fact also confirmed by a certificate issued by the Slovak Metrology Institute, which identifies its manufacturer. "The device forms part of a closed and isolated communications infrastructure with no access by third parties. It can communicate exclusively with the ministry's dedicated information system, which manages and monitors its status and retrieves the records it generates," said the spokesperson, adding that the technical device generates records only to the extent necessary for the legally required documentation of road traffic offences. According to Neumann, the device carries out a technical analysis of vehicle behaviour on the road. It doesn't itself evaluate the content of the records in relation to registers or other information systems, nor does it have access to them. "The processing of records only takes place after they have been securely transferred to the Interior Ministry's own information systems. There, the record is checked, its authenticity verified and its relevance assessed in the light of the applicable legislation. Only then can the record be assessed and further processed in accordance with the specified rules," explained the spokesperson for the Interior Ministry. Third parties therefore don't have access to the ministry's databases or data via technical equipment. The Interior Ministry points out that the certificate referred to by PS representatives in connection with the supply of ten German-made devices relates to a different type of technical equipment. Similarly, the contract in question relates to a different type of mobile speed camera used in field operations. The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party on Wednesday alleged that the Interior Ministry is installing Russian-made traffic cameras on the country's roads, describing the move as a serious security risk because the traffic-monitoring system is expected to have access to state databases. PS also questioned how the cameras were procured. The claims were made at a press conference held by MP Jaroslav Spisiak (PS) and the party's security adviser Peter Bator. am