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Fico Castigates Defence Minister Over Appointment of VSS Chief
Thursday 05 August 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, August 5 (TASR) - Former premier Robert Fico harshly criticised Defence Minister Lubomir Galko on Thursday for denting Slovakia's credibility as a NATO-member state by putting at the helm of the country's military intelligence service (VSS) a person who doesn't hold reliable security clearance.
Extrapolating from the info obtained, Fico stated that VSS chief Milan Hudec familiarised himself with the VSS framework after being appointed to the post without authorisation.
Earlier on Thursday, Galko said that he had temporarily dismissed Hudec from the post after learning that his clearance papers from the National Security Office and VSS bear suspicious marks. He's ordered Hudec to undergo fresh clearance tests, which will take a few days to complete.
Galko said that he may reappoint Hudec to the post provided that it is shown that he hasn't caused doubt regarding his person.
"It's dangerous that Hudec has familiarised himself with the staff of VSS's undercover section. He had no business being there. Both Galko and Hudec put the safety of the institution in jeopardy," said Fico. By dismissing Hudec, Galko has confirmed that laws have been violated and that he initiated moves that should have been made prior to appointment, said the former premier.
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