According to Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), since the beginning of this year, the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France have allegedly visited the Constitutional Court. Fico claimed that they discussed an amendment to the law on non-governmental organisations, which was being debated in Parliament at the time, as well as an amendment to the Slovak Constitution.
The Constitutional Court objected to Fico's claims, calling them false and unsubstantiated. The Constitutional Court referred to them as a gross and inadmissible interference in the impartiality and independence of the judiciary, and added that it will not tolerate any discrediting of its activities.
"We know that they've been pushing the Constitutional Court to declare this law unconstitutional. The Constitutional Court refused to suspend the law, but it is dealing with a submission regarding NGOs, and they also asked about the issue of the Slovak Constitution," Fico told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the Constitutional Court cannot judge whether a constitutional amendment is compatible with the Constitution itself. "What is an ambassador of a different country doing at the Constitutional Court?" Fico asked, dismissing claims that the discussions were about the court's powers and status.
"The Constitutional Court strongly objects to Prime Minister Robert Fico's statements to the Constitutional Court regarding the Constitutional Court's communication with ambassadors about the law on non-governmental organisations and the amendment to the Slovak Constitution," said spokesperson for the Constitutional Court Martina Ferencova in a statement. "The Constitutional Court has already stated in the past that it doesn't communicate with anyone outside the legal procedures on matters that are the subject of proceedings before the Constitutional Court," she stressed.
Source: TASR
