The Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) stands by the conclusions of its audits and analytical report on the management of European Union funds. Its statement came in response to a press conference held by Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč and parliamentary vice-chair Tibor Gašpar (both Smer-SD) on Wednesday. Both had reacted to recent media statements by The Supreme Audit Office chair Ľubomír Andrassy.
The NKÚ spokesperson Daniela Bolech Dobáková said that the chairperson’s remarks were based on NKÚ's long-term audit findings, which point to systemic failures in the protection of public finances, including EU funds. Where there is the suspicion of wrongdoing, NKÚ refers cases to the law-enforcement authorities.
Bolech Dobáková underlined that since 2017, under the leadership of former chair Karol Mitrík, NKÚ has repeatedly warned of a corrupt environment within the Agricultural Payment Agency (PPA), describing it as an institution that should be abolished. She added that the latest audit of PPA, covering the period between 2020-2024, showed that the risks of corruption and fraudulent conduct persist. Similar conclusions have been reached by other national and European institutions. According to the spokesperson, PPA remains under NKÚ scrutiny.
She added that attacks on and attempts to undermine independent institutions don't help to resolve public problems but instead weaken trust in state institutions, which is essential for a functioning democracy, the protection of public finances and public prosperity.
At Wednesday's news conference, attended by Gašpar, Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Vladimír Vnuk and PPA general director Marek Čepko, Takáč said that Andrassy has been lying in his recent public statements about corruption in the agriculture sector, particularly within PPA. According to Takáč and Gašpar, the NKU chair has begun engaging in opposition politics.
Source: TASR
