The alleged fraudulent disbursement of funds intended to operate mobile testing facilities, known as MOMs, during the COVID-19 pandemic must be thoroughly addressed, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said at a press conference on Saturday.
Speaking alongside House Vice-Chair Tibor Gašpar (Smer-SD), Fico called on the police, the Prosecutor’s Office and the media to take action. He also urged the Prosecutor-General’s Office to inform the public about the case.
According to Fico, the alleged fraud, involving nearly €2 million, was not an isolated incident. He claimed that the woman accused in the case had a similar history and had used so-called “straw men”, allegedly including predominantly people of Roma origin, to withdraw large amounts of cash, sometimes tens of thousands of euros, from banks.
Fico said he had obtained this information from ministry employees and government plenipotentiary Peter Kotlár: “We do not believe—and it is impossible that a single employee could bypass the Ministry of Health’s control mechanism in such a way that the Minister and Deputy Ministers would fail to notice 2.1 million euros slipping through their fingers.”
The opposition movement "Slovensko" points out that Robert Fico withheld a key fact—namely, that the accused individual was hired by the ministry during his third government, adds former Prime Minister Eduard Heger of the extra-parliamentary party Demokrati: “Once again, it was he who appointed her to the position. According to the information available to us, this woman joined the ministry prior to our tenure—during his terms in office. Had a Commercial Bank not flagged the matter and notified the police, we would still be unaware of this case today.”
Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka also responded to the Prime Minister's criticism of the police and the prosecutor's office regarding the release of a woman from custody: “We are under no obligation to inform you or anyone else of the steps and measures we have taken, or intend to take, in order to properly clarify the matter to an extent sufficient for reaching a lawful and fair decision.”
He adds that he will not allow criminal cases—particularly during the pre-trial stage—to be exploited for political purposes. The police are continuing their investigation into the matter.
Source: STVR
