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Chren: None of Hayek Consulting Scandals Are True
Sunday 19 September 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, September 19 (TASR) - Economy Ministry State Secretary Martin Chren (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) rejects any accusation that he violated the law when the company called Hayek Consulting was awarded state commissions, he said at a press conference held on Sunday.
"Recently, my name has been associated with several purpose-built scandals like the notice-board tender or some conflict-of-interest scandal, none of which is true," said Chren.
As for the state commission awarded to Hayek Consulting at a time when its co-owners Martin Chren (SaS) and Ivan Svejna (Most-Hid) have been already appointed state secretaries, Chren acted in such a way as to prevent any conflict of interest. Furthermore, he did everything to ensure that "Hayek Consulting withdrew from the contract before any money could change hands," he said.
Chren also stressed that from the time he joined the top political circuit he severed his affiliation with Hayek Consulting and the Hayek Foundation – a right-wing think-tank.
Chren rejects any suggestion that Hayek Consulting participated in any notice-board tender. According to him, the company in question won a number of tenders, but none of those was published on notice-boards only (like the much-criticised environment ministry consulting contract that eventually led to SNS (Slovak National Party) losing the portfolio in the past government). "All of the public tenders went in accordance with the laws of this country, being published even beyond the extent specified by law," he said.
However, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova (SDKU-DS) said Sunday that although she has now obtained more information on the case, she still harbours the same opinion as before: she sees the conduct of Chren and Svejna in terms of conflict of interest. She plans to discuss the issue with her partners at the Coalition Council's session, set for September 21.
Radicova said this in reaction to the statement made by SaS chairman Richard Sulik on the same day, according to whom the Prime Minister had insufficient amount of information about the contract when she said that Chren's and Svejna's posts were at stake. Sulik claimed that after she got briefed on the case, Radicova now shares the same opinion on Martin Chren's dismissal as Sulik.
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