Prime Minister’s left-populist ruling coalition Robert Fico voted in Parliament to abolish the institution that guarantees protection for those who report cases of corruption, as part of a new offensive against the rule of law in Slovakia. The project of … The law, approved under an accelerated procedure, leads to the immediate closure of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers, created in 2021 and which will now be replaced by a new institution whose management will be appointed by the government.
The Fico executive, in power since 2023, took successive steps to weaken financial crimes in the Penal Code and promote constitutional changes to assert national sovereignty over EU laws that served as safeguards against corruption.
The office, which will now be dismantled, guaranteed job security for civil servants who reported irregularities in hiring and bidding, ensuring that informants were neither fired nor persecuted. Its mandate was to avoid retaliation and act as a shield against institutional power against individuals.
On three occasions, for example, it sanctioned the Ministry of the Interior with fines of more than 100,000 euros for non-compliance with the status of protected civil servants whose complaints had been corroborated. He had thus become a very uncomfortable actor for the government, which had promised to “reduce the bureaucratic excesses of anti-corruption mechanisms”.
“The new structure will be more efficient and less politicized. We cannot allow an independent office to block government action,” Fico said at Parliament headquarters. The Slovak Prime Minister claimed that the office was “politicized” and offered protection to “criminals”, in particular former agents of the elite NAKA corps, who during the previous legislature prosecuted people linked to Fico for corruption.
“This is a direct attack on those who dare to speak out against corruption. The message is clear: the State will no longer protect them. »
Miroslav Ziak
Spokesperson for the Democratic Party
“Everyone sees that this is revenge against a civil servant who dared to fulfill his duties responsibly,” defends the opposition Demokrati party during a press conference on Facebook.
“This is a direct attack on those who dare to speak out against corruption. The message is clear: the State will no longer protect them,” denounced its spokesperson, Miroslav Ziakone of the most visible voices of the opposition on issues of transparency and the fight against corruption, who insists on the need to maintain independent organizations guaranteeing the protection of informants. He considers that the elimination of this position “is part of a broader strategy by Fico to limit institutional controls and protect its coalition from investigations.”
The European Commission and several international NGOs agree that the disappearance of this office represents a democratic setback and weakens citizens’ confidence. The abolition was approved by 78 votes in favor, out of a total of 150, with 57 deputies against and 15 absences, which shows that even within Fico’s ranks there was some discontent. The head of state, Pierre Pellegrinisaid he may veto the law if he believes it could create problems for Slovakia on the international stage.
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