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Fico: Act Is Extreme and Controversial, But We Had to Do Something
Thursday 04 March 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, March 4 (TASR) - Problems can be expected when it comes to application of the newly-adopted Act on Origin of Property Disclosure in Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico conceded on Thursday.
The reason, according to the premier (who drafted the legislation), is that no other EU country, except for Italy with a somewhat similar legal norm in practice, has such a piece of legislation.
The law's predecessor, approved in 2005, was not given a chance to be tested in practice, as it went directly before the Constitutional Court and was quashed. "It would be good if the law was given some time now before it goes into effect," said the premier.
According to Fico, the new legislation isn't aimed at disputes between "neighbours who don't like one another". Rather, it is supposed to be used in extreme cases of inexplicable possession of properties resulting either from the social transformation in Slovakia (after 1989), or criminal activities. That's why only a property having value exceeding 1,500-fold of minimum wage level may be subject to it. The figure now represents around €450,000.
"It's an extreme, unique and controversial law," said Fico. "It's a law that's supposed to deal with cases when somebody in five or ten years through criminal activities manages to build up an imperium of wealth," he said.
The Act is not a norm under criminal law, which means that proving somebody's guilt is not among its objectives. Instead, it should facilitate civil proceedings to see if a person under suspicion is able to disclose the origin of his or her property. If they fail to do so, s/he might be deprived of the property in question. Fico said, however, that this action does not rule out that investigation authorities may prove criminal activities.
"It's a serious blow to property rights, and this law may cause big disputes, but we had to do something," said Fico of the legislation that has been in the public eye for well over a decade.
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