According to the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico (Smer-SD), the most appropriate solution would be to amend the Criminal Code and completely abolish the institute of the penitent. He called him untrustworthy. He stated this at a press conference on Sunday in response to the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic to suspend the effectiveness of the amendment to the Criminal Code, regarding the inapplicability of evidence obtained from a cooperating person, the so-called penitent.
- Prime Minister Fico proposes the complete abolition of the institution of the penitent in the Criminal Code.
- The Constitutional Court suspended part of the amendment, leaving other parts in force.
“We are sorry that the Constitutional Court made such a decision. I repeat, I respect him, but in view of these absurdities and outrageousness, our duty is to think about how we will modify the system of penitents, whistleblowers and crooks, because in the state it is in now, it is absolutely unacceptable, it is downright dangerous for the democratic political system,” he said.
The Prime Minister added that, in his opinion, the legislation, the effectiveness of which is suspended, is correct, and they must act before the Supreme Court decides. “However, I think that if the judges of the Constitutional Court had personally experienced what we experienced between 2020 and 2023, they would never have issued such a decision. On the contrary, they would immediately throw off the table the submission of the Prosecutor General,” he added.
Prime Minister at the same time criticized the procedure of the general prosecutor Maroš Žilinka and indicated that, according to him, he took the side of the opposition. “Never has the prosecutor’s office entered a political fight like it has in the last two or three weeks,” he declared.
This week, the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic suspended the effectiveness of the amendment to the Criminal Code, regarding the inapplicability of evidence obtained from a cooperating person. He did not comply with the proposal to suspend the effectiveness of the remaining part of the amendment to the Criminal Code adopted by the parliament last December. The decision related to the submission of a group of opposition MPs, which the court accepted for further proceedings. Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka and the Specialized Criminal Court (ŠTS) challenged the amendment to the Criminal Code at the Supreme Court. Their proposals were also accepted by the ÚS for further proceedings, combining them for joint proceedings.
