BRATISLAVA, January 20, (WEBNOVINY) — Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrusovsky (KDH) insists on discussing the proposal to cancel deputy immunity from prosecution at the last scheduled parliamentary session before the elections, starting January 31. “I insist that we debate this draft bill and I myself as one of the authors will ask other deputies not only to discuss it, but endorse it, too,” Hrusovsky told a news conference on Friday about the program of this session of parliament.
Hrusovsky proposes to include 74 points on the session’s agenda, including the second reading of nine government draft bills, one vetoed bill on social services, and a number of deputy drafts. The plenum has been postponing the debate on deputy drafts for months. “I believe that the parliament should debate drafts already submitted this election term,” said Hrusovsky, who wants to persuade chairmen of deputy factions on his position on Monday.
The speaker of parliament obtained a letter from head of SaS deputy faction Jozef Kollar through which he asks him, as head of KDH deputy club, to call on its members to support the draft to convene a parliamentary session with four points on the agenda. One of them is debate on the draft to cancel deputy immunity. The SaS also wants to hold meetings of committees overseeing the Slovak intelligence service SIS and the defense and security committee. SaS also champions adopting a resolution in which the parliament would ask President Ivan Gasparovic to appoint elected candidate for the post of Prosecutor General Jozef Centes to the post. Hrusovsky commented that he will hold talks with chairmen of all deputy factions on Monday and decide afterwards whether to convene the extraordinary session.
Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Milan Hort (SDKU-DS) informed Hrusovsky that he is also submitting a draft resolution like Kollar, namely a request on the president to appoint Centes head of the General Prosecution Office.
Hrusovsky does not believe that parliament should discuss the case of leaked secret service file codenamed Gorila. According to him, law enforcement authorities should feel free and independent to properly investigate the case.
SITA