Prosecutor General defends the merger of extremism crime unit

"I reject the information presented in the media about the weakening of the fight against extremism", Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka told a press conference on Wednesday, adding that the information is fictional. Žilinka faced criticism after information about the proposed disbanding of the Special Prosecutor's Office department against extremism. Žilinka defended the move by the need to optimise the structure of the Special Prosecutors Office. A final plan of changes could be ready within ten days and after its implementation, the 11 prosecutors in the new department of organised crime, terrorism and extremism would be able to address the agenda of extremism. He claims that the merger does not mean the abolition of the department. Justice Minister Mária Kolíkova (For the People) also perceives the fight against extremism by the Special Prosecutor's Office as an important law enforcement component. The minister has not seen any specific drafts of the organisational changes yet and hence finds it premature to make any comments.