Taraba: Premier Responsible for What's Happening at Environment Ministry

(JOJ 24,'Politika 24', 8 November) Speaking on JOJ 24's discussion programme 'Politika 24' (Politics 24) on Sunday, former environment minister and MP Tomas Taraba (Independent) stated that Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is responsible for everything that happens at the Environment Ministry, as he is in charge of the ministry, adding that the authorisation granted to State Secretary Filip Kuffa doesn't entitle him to dismiss the directors of the ministry's organisations, who are already beginning to defend themselves through the courts. Taraba also claimed that an unnamed person from the coalition had threatened to discredit him. "Robert Fico is responsible for everything that's happening at the ministry, including the attacks on me personally, because formally he is the minister," said Taraba, adding that he hasn't discussed the state of the Environment Ministry with the premier since handing over the ministry to him, seeing no reason why he should do so. The ex-minister declared that he's no longer part of the coalition since Parliament dismissed him from his post as minister. Nor does he feel he's part of the opposition. According to him, the Environment Ministry is at risk of losing funding under its current management. MP Taraba also stated that he and his fellow MPs Roman Malatinec and Peter Slysko (both Independents) won't, in their current form, support legislative changes relating to cooperating defendants. The amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code is currently on the agenda of the parliamentary session. am