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Premier: Dismissing SPF's Officials Wasn't Premature
Sunday 06 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, December 6 (TASR) - Smer-SD Chairman and Slovak Premier Robert Fico said at a Smer-SD ceremonial convention on Sunday that he doesn't regard his decision to dismiss representatives of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) as premature.
Fico was reacting to a statement made by LS-HZDS chairman Vladimir Meciar on TV JOJ's politics show 'De Facto' on Friday.
"I respect his opinion, though," said Fico, adding, however, that if SPF carried out the same kind of scandalous land transfer again, he would dismiss its representatives at a moment's notice.
Fico reiterated that although SPF representatives observed the law, they acted unethically by going against their political instructions. The Fund representatives were obliged to alarm the Government to potential risks vis-a-vis land transfers and not compensate restituents with land in more lucrative areas than those in which property was originally seized. "They didn't pay any heed to these instructions, so they had to leave. I can't imagine that we would stand up for these people now," said Fico.
The premier also denied a claim made by SME daily that Eva Mihalikova - the wife of dismissed SPF director Miroslav Mihalik (an Smer-SD nominee) - is Robert Fico's cousin who works in Slovakia's central bank NBS. Mihalikova's maiden name was Rybanska. "You've mistaken her for Eva Rybanska, who is my cousin - but is unmarried and works in Bratislava as a doctor," Fico told SME reporters. "You've accused me of cronyism. You are such incredible dilettantes, cheats and liers, the sort that I've never seen before," he said, adding that he expects the daily to apologise for all its untrue attacks.
Fico disagrees with the opinion that the sucess of his party is mainly the product of outstanding marketing. "Smer-SD has no support channel among TV channels or the electronic media," he stressed, attributing the favourable poll results to hard party work in the regions and among people. According to him, the press comes up with lie after lie against Smer on a daily basis.
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