Coalition party Hlas was fined €5,000 on Monday for its delayed disclosure of a loan agreement with a company called Element Business, Eduard Burda, who chairs the State Commission for Elections and Supervision of Political Party Financing, announced after a commission session on the same day.
The loan was used to fund the 2024 presidential campaign of current head of state Peter Pellegrini. According to Burda, the first submission to the commission came directly from Hlas, followed by a second one from the opposition 'Slovakia' party. The commission initiated proceedings over the suspicion that the party had failed to meet its obligations under the law on political parties.
Under the law, parties are required to publish information about received loans on their websites within 30 days of signing loan agreements. According to the party's annual report, Hlas recorded one loan last year from the creditor Element Business worth €300,000. The loan was received on January 26, 2024 and repaid on October 8, 2024. The managing director of the company is the president's sister, Eva Pellegrini.
Hlas stated that the loan information was added to the website "without delay after an internal audit revealed that the obligation had not been met". The party also said that it acknowledges the commission's decision and is ready to pay the fine.
Source: TASR
