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Lipsic Proposes Depriving Harabin of His Guard, Harabin Hits Back
Wednesday 14 July 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, July 14 (TASR) - New Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic (Christian Democrats/KDH) has proposed that Supreme Court Chairman and his long-time opponent Stefan Harabin should be deprived of his guard, Sylvia Machalova from Harabin's office told TASR on Wednesday.
"By this proposal to recall Supreme Court Chair Stefan Harabin's guard, Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic has assumed full moral and political responsibility for (Harabin's) security," reads a statement from the Supreme Court.
Harabin's office accuses Lipsic of acting based on political retribution rather than an expert viewpoint in this sphere. "Security risks weren't analysed at all, while Harabin had received several threats in the past. Physical liquidation may be one of the options how to get rid of an opponent," reads the sharp-toned statement.
Lipsic reacted that Supreme Court chairs never used to have bodyguards. "Guards were assigned only after Stefan Harabin left the post of justice minister (for the post of Supreme Court chairman). In the EU it isn't usual for Supreme Court chairs to have assigned bodyguards," said the minister.
At the same time, Lipsic pointed out that Harabin's bodyguards cost the state €167,000 annually. "This amount is partly due to the fact that the Supreme Court Chairman also used the guard at his exotic service trips to Australia, Brazil and China. The Interior Ministry has no information that Harabin might currently be dealing with any serious criminal case," added Lipsic.
The enmity between Harabin and Lipsic reached its climax two years ago, when Lipsic as an opposition MP instigated a parliamentary no-confidence motion in then-justice minister Harabin over his alleged connections to Albanian drug baron Baki Sadiki. During the motion, which was eventually unsuccessful, Harabin said to Lipsic, thinking that microphones are off: "you'll go to jail, you dirty bastard".
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