Fico Threatens Opposition Removal Amid Corruption Case

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has escalated a political standoff by threatening to remove an opposition parliamentary deputy, Martin Dubéci, from his post. This move comes as the opposition, led by the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, seeks to oust Tibor Gašpar, a deputy and former police chief, due to corruption allegations.

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We are not shouting that he should go to jail. It's not about his person, it's about the seriousness of the National Council. If someone is accused of masterminding a criminal group and corruption, they have no business being in the position of deputy speaker.

The controversy centers on the "Očistec" (Purgatory) case, where Gašpar faces charges of masterminding a criminal group and corruption. The situation intensified following testimony in the murder case of journalist Ján Kuciak, where a witness claimed Gašpar had threatened him to remain silent. PS chairman Michal Šimečka stated that Gašpar's position as deputy speaker of parliament is untenable given the charges, emphasizing the need to protect the integrity of the National Council.

Fico labeled the opposition's actions against Gašpar as "immoral" and retaliated by threatening to have Dubéci removed by the ruling majority. This would break a 30-year tradition of allowing the opposition to hold at least one leadership position in parliament. Fico's statement also referenced "plastic Martin," alluding to a past scandal involving the financing of a presidential campaign led by Radoslav Procházka, a campaign managed by Dubéci 12 years ago. Gašpar himself suggested Procházka's words might carry more weight than the witness in the Kuciak case.

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We have not only the factual right but also the moral right.

This tactic mirrors a strategy employed by Fico's Smer party in 2015 when facing public pressure over the Váhostav construction company scandal. At that time, Fico defended the potential removal of an opposition leader, arguing for the "moral right" to do so. The Váhostav case involved a company's failure to repay over 100 million euros to small businesses and sole proprietors, with accusations that the government protected the company's owner, Juraj Široký, from injecting sufficient personal capital for its rescue.

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Let's try to say whose words might carry more weight – Andruskó's or Procházka's. I'm not going to speculate about it.