Opposition Again Calls on Interior Minister to Resign Over Radar Cameras

Bratislava, 14 August (TASR) - Opposition parties have again called for Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) to resign, this time follow a warning from the National Security Authority (NBU) regarding the use of traffic radar cameras, which, according to the authority, pose a significant cyber-security risk. The cameras were deployed as part of a trial run of a system for automatically detecting road traffic violations. Former interior minister Roman Mikulec (Slovakia, For the People) said that political responsibility for this lies with the interior minister. SaS also argues that Sutaj Estok is responsible for Slovakia's security and should therefore leave office. KDH agrees and has also called for a security audit of other procurements by the ministry. "Matus Sutaj Estok deliberately cancelled a tender that had been prepared for these cameras three years ago. He deliberately set the conditions for a tender that was subsequently halted by the Public Procurement Office because it saw manipulation in the public procurement process. Matus Sutaj Estok clearly gave someone an instruction, because a rank-and-file clerk couldn't simply do this on his own and have other cameras purchased. And now it's emerged that these new cameras pose a serious threat," said Mikulec. If Sutaj Estok doesn't resign, he should be dismissed by Prime Minister Robert Fico [Smer-SD], he added. 'For the People' chair Veronika Remisova said that the scale of NBU's findings point to a scandal. She asked who was supposed to have access to people's sensitive data. SaS also believes that Sutaj Estok bears full responsibility for what is happening at his ministry and must therefore resign following the camera incident. "The cameras, already installed to monitor traffic, contain mechanisms via which they can be controlled by someone other than the Interior Ministry, and they are poorly protected," stated SaS on social media, adding that Sutaj Estok should face the situation head-on and submit his resignation on Friday. "We can't have as interior minister — who is responsible for the security of people in Slovakia — someone who procures and tests cameras that pose a security risk," added SaS. KDH vice-chair Viliam Karas said that Sutaj Estok has failed to protect the country's security. "When he was alerted to suspect cameras of Russian origin, the minister had the opportunity to immediately investigate the situation and act. Instead, we we treated to obfuscation and attempts to shift responsibility. Today we have a statement from NBU confirming the security risks of the equipment procured by the Interior Ministry. This is where all the excuses end," he said. According to the Christian Democrats, the situation is all the more serious because Slovakia is a member of the EU and NATO, while Russia is waging war against neighbouring Ukraine. The party is calling for the release of information about who checked the origin of the equipment and its components, how this was done, who assessed the security risks and who decided to deploy the technology. "Political responsibility for the running of the ministry has a name, and that name is Matus Sutaj Estok. Following NBU's statement, there is no longer any credible reason why he should continue to head the Interior Ministry. He should resign immediately," declared Karas. mf/df