President Peter Pellegrini will not intervene in the dispute between two state institutions over how the law is to be construed with regard to the fine that he received for accepting campaign funds after the legal deadline, and he'll respect the final decision, the president's spokesperson Patricia Medved Macikova stated in response to Tuesday's statement by Prosecutor-General Maroš Žilinka.
"President Pellegrini fully respected the Interior Ministry's decision to impose a fine of €10,000 and paid the fine immediately. The President has always respected, and will continue to respect, the Constitution and the law. Therefore, he will not in any way interfere in the dispute between two state institutions over the interpretation of the law and will respect the final verdict of the competent authorities," she said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Žilinka stated on social media that the Interior Ministry broke the law by imposing a fine on Pellegrini with respect to his election campaign. According to Žilinka, the President is immune to prosecution for administrative offences. He also announced that a prosecutor has filed an official protest with a proposal to annul the ministry's decision.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas-SD) has said that he respects the conclusions of the Prosecutor-General's Office. He stated that the ministry will decide on further steps after a thorough review of the relevant documents.
"We'll wait for the recommendation from the Prosecutor-General to give us a clear set of steps on how to proceed in this case," said Šutaj Eštok.
In March, Pellegrini was fined €10,000 for accepting campaign funds after the legal deadline. He paid the fine in April and admitted to making a mistake.
The 'Slovakia' party will submit a draft resolution to Parliament condemning President Peter Pellegrini's conduct during the presidential campaign in 2024 and calling on him to resign.
The opposition MPs said that the President violated the law on election campaigning and "became president through deceit". They also announced a proposal to amend a constitutional act by removing the president's immunity from administrative offences.
The resolution will present, in four points, several breaches of the law during the presidential campaign. For example backdating a decision authorizing Deputy Speaker Peter Ziga (Hlas-SD) to acquire the speaker's powers, advertising paid for during the election moratorium by Hlas-SD members, the failure to disclose a €300,000 loan from the President's sister, and the omission of influencer advertising expenditures.
Source: TASR
