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Prokopovic Calls Fico's Accusation a Pathetic Attempt to Divert Attention
Thursday 21 January 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, January 21 (TASR) - Slovak former transport minister Pavol Prokopovic (SDKU-DS) rejects the statement made by Premier Robert Fico that he signed unfavourable contracts in 2006.
"This is Fico's pathetic attempt to divert attention away from electronic road-toll scandal," Prokopovic told TASR on Thursday.
According to him, it's interesting that Fico brings up the accusation more than three years later after coming to power. "There's something fishy here. On Wednesday (January 20), I called on Transport Minister (Lubomir Vazny) to act if law was indeed broken and he backed off at once," said Prokopovic.
He thinks that if those accusations were of any substance, Transport Minister Vazny or Premier Fico would have come up with them a lot earlier. "The Parliamentary Elections are coming up; they need to cover the scandal of electronic road-toll system that not only doesn't work but made the state lose billion korunas in shady dealings. Fico needs people to forget his threats toward lorry drivers and hauliers. This issue possibly represents an opportunity," said Prokopovic.
Fico accused Prokopovic on Thursday of signing contracts unfavourable to Slovakia. "Minister Prokopovic consented to the signing of rental contracts on a substantial number of estate located in Bratislava and Komarno. These are absolutely unfavourable 25-50 year-long rentals with no termination possibility," emphasised Fico, adding that he's willing to show the contracts to the media. Prokopovic signed the troubled contracts, according to Fico, as late as June 27 and June 28, 2006 - even though a new Government as the election result was clear for a week, and coming to power on July 4. This attests to the hypocrisy of the Opposition MPs who are now taking pot-shots at incumbent Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny (Smer-SD), said Fico.
The Opposition tried unsuccessfully to oust Vazny from his post on Wednesday over the botched launch of the new electronic road-toll system.
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