The Hlas-SD coalition party respects the decision of Slovak President Petr Pellegrini, who on Thursday vetoed the law on the transformation of the Whistleblower Protection Office (ÚOO) into a new office. At the same time, the party stated that it will do everything to get the parliament to re-approve the law and to put the necessary changes into practice. TASR was informed about this by the Hlas press department.
- The President of the Slovak Republic vetoed the law on the transformation of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers.
- Hlas-SD respects the decision and plans to re-enforce the law in parliament.
- The President justified the veto with factual observations and reservations of the European Commission.
- Hlas-SD considers the amendment of the law correct and necessary.
- The law is supposed to address the systemic protection of whistleblowers.
“We respect President Pellegrini’s decision. It is his constitutional right. It is natural that the president looks at the legislation from a different perspective than the political parties. At the same time, it is true that the approved amendment to the law removed the reservations that the president named in his return of the law“, the party pointed out.
As she stated, the content of the law itself is key for Hlas and for all people who want to protect honest informants of crimes and not persons accused of criminal activity. “We continue to insist that the adopted amendment is important, right and necessary. It addresses long-standing failures in the whistleblower protection system and brings order, clear accountability and, above all, justice to it.” stated the party.
Slovak President Pellegrini vetoed the law on the transformation of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers into a new office. He justified this by the absence of reasons for abbreviated legislative proceedings, serious material comments on the insufficient protection of victims of crimes and unresolved reservations from the European Commission with possible consequences for Slovakia.
