Economy Ministry Defends Michel's Nomination to Energetika Slovensko

Bratislava, 28 August (TASR) - The Economy Ministry maintains that Lubos Michel (Voice-SD) has met all legal requirements and passed the selection process for a seat on the board of partially state-owned company Energetika Slovensko, but the opposition 'Slovakia' party is seeking the dismissal of ministers Denisa Sakova and Matus Sutaj Estok (both Voice-SD) over several controversial nominations, non-transparent steps in the energy sector and suspected conflicts of interest. "Lubos Michel met all the legally prescribed requirements for holding the position and successfully completed the proper selection process. On this basis, he served on the board of Vychodoslovenska energetika as of September 2024 and, following its merger with ZSE Energia, has continued since July 2025 as a board member of Energetika Slovensko," the Economy Ministry declared in a statement on Friday. The parliamentary Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has joined the efforts to dismiss Minister Sakova. "She's not doing a good job as economy minister and should be held accountable in Parliament for this affair," said the party, whose MPs will also support the dismissal of Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok. "A motion to dismiss Matus Sutaj Estok has already been submitted to Parliament. There are countless reasons for his dismissal. And the nomination of the wife of the investigator handling his case as chair of the supervisory board of Energetika Slovensko is just further evidence that Sutaj Estok has no business remaining in his post," they added. The Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party announced on Thursday (20 August) that it will seek minister Sakova’s dismissal, citing preparations for a new nuclear power facility in Jaslovske Bohunice. According to SaS, the minister has failed to justify the amount that the state is to pay for the stake held by the Czech CEZ group (a conglomerate of companies involved in the generation, distribution, trading and sale of electricity, heat and natural gas), or to guarantee the protection of public finances. The party said at the time that if the minister doesn't resign, her dismissal will be addressed in Parliament. On Thursday (27 August), the Slovakia party said at a news briefing that it was collecting signatures to seek the dismissal of ministers Sakova and Sutaj Estok, citing controversial nominations at Energetika Slovensko. The movement drew attention to the nomination of Voice-SD candidate Lubos Michel, stating that as a former football referee, he didn't meet any professional criteria in the energy sector. mf/df