War of words continue between PM and President

President Andrej Kiska on Monday denied Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) statement that the president had sought help with his tax-related issues from law enforcement authorities, according to TASR press agency. "It's a complete lie. I can only confirm the prosecutor-general, Jaromír Čižnár's words, that I've never sought help from law enforcement authorities for any of my companies," Kiska wrote on a social network page. The Prosecutor-General's (PG) Office spokesperson Andrea Predajňová told the media earlier in the day that Čižnár is refusing to be dragged into a conflict between Fico and Kiska. She also said that Čižnár rejects the claim that Kiska had asked him for help in connection with the president's co-owned company called KTAG. It claimed to have spent on its own operating costs an amount of money that it actually used to back Kiska's presidential campaign. As KTAG paid the tax that it owed plus a penalty following an inspection by the tax office, nobody was prosecuted. At a briefing on Sunday Fico stated that he didn't obtain the information about Kiska's tax-related issues illegally from the tax office or any other bodies, but that the president told him about it himself. The premier referred to statements made by Fair-Play Alliance chair Zuzana Wienk on RTVS's programme 'O 5 Minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. She said that Fico knew about the tax audit at a company co-owned by Kiska as early as in August, before an anonymous person or entity released the confidential information in September. She also said that Fico spoke about Kiska's tax-related issue during a working meeting concerning a bill on whistle-blowers in which she participated. According to Wienk, Fico at the meeting allegedly described Kiska as a tax fraudster that cannot be trusted. She said that confidential information protected by the law is being misused in a political fight.