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Miklos Criticises Former Chiefs of Tipos for Wasteful Spending
Thursday 14 Octtber 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, October 14 (TASR) - Under the previous government of Robert Fico, the national lottery company Tipos excessively promoted concerts of foreign music bands and local sports clubs, Finance Minister Ivan Miklos told Parliament after Tipos saw its managers removed with the new government taking office.
Speaking during Question Hour in Parliament, Miklos added that between 2006 and 2010 Tipos was being bled dry by its then managers, who were favouring sports clubs over all others.
On the day of their removal there were signed contracts worth a total of €320,000 on the table, according to Miklos, listing the €150,000 invested in a concert tour of foreign music bands, €100,000 in promoting the television Music One Awards and €70,000 in support of the Bratislava-based ice hockey team Slovan.
Within less than three years Tipos pumped close to €2 million into Slovan. Other major clubs in Banska Bystrica, Kosice can only envy the Bratislava club, said the minister. Other solely foreign-based bands and singers promoted were Lenny Kravitz, Pussycat Dolls, Alicia Keys, Backstreet Boys, Depeche Mode and Kiss.
Jan Pociatek, finance minister under the previous government, countered by saying that Tipos has never performed better than in his term. "That is an incontrovertible fact," said Pociatek in refuting comments like 'Tipos was bled dry'.
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