BRATISLAVA, September 24, (WEBNOVINY)- Prime Minister Iveta Radicova will not recall for now State Secretary at the Economy Ministry Martin Chren (SaS) and Transport Ministry State Secretary Ivan Svejna (MOST-HID), both former co-owners of the company Hayek Consulting, which accepted a state order at the time when both of them already held their positions in the new cabinet. The Supreme Audit Office controlled by the opposition nominee Jan Jasovsky will check the case of the state secretaries.
At a joint news conference with Speaker of Parliament and SaS leader Richard Sulik Radicova agreed with him that the law was not violated in the matter but they both spoke about an ethical conflict of interest. “Yes, it is possible that a conflict of interest occurred but Martin Chren removed it the moment he learned about it. Shortly after the contract was concluded Chren revoked from the contract and sold his stake in the company,“ announced Sulik. “Martin Chren acted instantly,” underscored his party boss. The prime minister is going to recall neither Transport Minister Jan Figel not Economy Minister Juraj Miskov over the case.
Radicova and Sulik suggested that the revoked contract had opened a discussion about further around eight contracts that Hayek Consulting concluded with the state in 2007 – 2009, which might call certain doubts. According to Radicova, her coalition partners agree with her that there are doubts here but they do not assess the situation around Hayek Consulting as the reason for stepping down or recalling the state secretaries. Therefore, she agreed with the SaS and MOST-HID parties that they will first turn to the Supreme Audit office via parliament to check frugality of spent funds in contracts of state institutions with the company Hayek Consulting. If the authority fails toconfirm that the contracts were thrifty and transparent both state secretaries are to resign. “If there are doubts, then the protocol will be applied, it is fully in my jurisdiction to decide on the state secretaries’s remaining in the posts ,” said the prime minister.
When Chren was already the state secretary of the Economy Ministry led by his party mate Juraj Miskov, his company Hayek Consulting signed a deal worth EUR 81,000 with the ministry’s National Agency for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. Earlier this week, Radicova claimed that each political party takes political responsibility for its nominees. “I am not competent to decide on the issue involving state secretaries. It is up to a political party and a minister. I would call on a minister to take action if the matter concerned our party,” she claimed.
SITA