Prime Minister and Smer-SD party leader Robert Fico has offered Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas-SD) full legal support from Smer-SD following a default judgment in a dispute between the minister and a group of police officers known as the “Čurillovci,” siding with the head of the interior ministry. Fico described the circumstances of the ruling as absurd and shared the offer on social media.
“The circumstances of the default judgment in the case of the Čurillovci versus the Minister of the Interior are so absurd that today I offered Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok every legal assistance that structures associated with Smer-SD can provide. The quality of these structures is proven by dozens of successful rulings,” Fico wrote.
At the same time, Fico expressed concern over certain investigative decisions. “On a daily basis, we are attacked for trying to correct injustices that occurred between 2020 and 2023. For example, it is practically impossible to explain to citizens how the police can halt prosecution over massive military aid to Ukraine while claiming no damage occurred,” he said. Fico questioned whether it was not a failure that all strategic Slovak sites were left unprotected, requiring a new security system costing hundreds of millions of euros. He described the investigator’s reasoning as evidence of political activism favoring the current opposition.
“Smer-SD cannot bear responsibility for a ministry that is not under political control. However, if Minister Šutaj Eštok wishes, we are ready to offer all our expert structures, which, once integrated into the Ministry of the Interior, could respond more effectively to justified criticism of current police work,” Fico added.
Šutaj Eštok lost the court case against the Čurillovci police officers, who had compared him to the legally convicted Mikuláš Černák. He must publicly apologize and pay compensation totaling €90,000, along with legal costs and interest. According to the officers’ lawyer, Peter Kubina, the minister failed to check his email, resulting in a default judgment. Kubina also noted that Šutaj Eštok is currently under enforcement, with funds on his account blocked to pay the compensation.
On social media, the minister responded that he stands by his words and that due to his workload, he rarely uses the public administration portal. He added that the court did not consider his arguments and criticized the judge for not attempting to contact him through other means.
Source: TASR
