Gorilla scandal

In the Gorilla Affair (Slovak Kauza Gorila ) is a corruption scandal in Slovakia, which was triggered by the publication of alleged transcripts of surveillance records of the Slovak Information Service (SIS ) on the Internet just before Christmas 2011, and during the pre-election period to the parliamentary elections in Slovakia in 2012 10 March 2012 shook the Slovak political scene. Subject of the outrage is the connection Slovakian politicians with the private capital group Penta Investments, as well as alleged bribery of government officials in the millions on the occasion of privatizations and large public allocations under the second Dzurinda Mikuláš government in the years 2005/06.

Background

Cause of the affair was on 21 December 2011, the publication of an alleged summary " Gorila " ( German gorilla ) called wiretap transcripts of the Slovak Information Service (SIS ) on the Internet. Documented conversations from the years 2005 and 2006 are between the penta- chairman Jaroslav Haščák, the former Minister of Economics Jirko Malchárek and the former director of the State shares in large companies in the energy and telecommunications sectors manage National Property Fund (Slovak: Fond národného majetku, FNM) Anna Bubeníková in a clandestine apartment Bratislava's city center, which suggest a comprehensive policy and state corruption braid. There, details about the planned privatization of state enterprises under the government of Mikuláš Dzurinda discussed ( SDKU -DS), and in particular the Slovak energy plants and the Bratislava airport, the latter of which has been stopped by the then Prime Minister Robert Fico in 2007. For the award himself Penta is said to have agreed to generous commissions, among others, to his two interlocutors. Also on the selection of members of the Privatisation Commission took the illustrations according influence. From SDKU -DS, KDH, SMK -MKP and Smer - SD - - According to the document Politicians from across the political spectrum as well as other public office holders in this scandal involved. Mention will also the Jozef Jurica, member of the Executive Commission of the FNM, Finance Minister Ivan Miklos, Minister of Culture Rudolf Chmel and Smer - chairman and later Prime Minister Robert Fico.

The acoustic monitoring of the apartment Zoltán Vargas, a friend Haščáks, requested the Slovak secret service with the District Court Bratislava on 21 November 2005, been after observed by the head of the analytical department, Peter Mravec, frequent visits from his neighbor's apartment by representatives of the government and the investor group Penta were. The resulting previous recordings to have been destroyed.

Investigations

Since 2006, it has been repeated investigations by the police based on the information acquired by monitoring, but all have been stopped due to lack of cooperation of the Slovak Intelligence Service. The then Prime Minister and the Home Secretary should have been informed.

Initial investigations in 2006 were directed first against the venality of representatives of the people whose names were mentioned in the material. Due to a lack of willingness by the former, now deceased already intelligence chief Ladislav Pittner they were hired in July 2007.

During the year 2009, the recordings that would have the power alone were to confirm the information in the "Gorilla records" or disprove destroyed, as Prime Minister Iveta Radicova indicates. This is due to the anti- corruption office under the former management Tibor Gaspar. The reason for its removal on 14 May 2008, he cites lack of credibility and incompleteness that they would make it unusable for further investigation. The legality of this approach is provided by Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic under the Note, would have had to be returned to the intelligence the files in question.

Apparently, showed as " Gorilla Act " became known material for the first time in 2009. At that time, the Canadian journalist Tom Nicholson has this material to be penetrated under the former intelligence chief Jozef Magala outwards, the police, the Anti-Corruption Bureau presented in Nitra and the media. Also this time the investigations were terminated, without leading to a prosecution. This time it is the lack of cooperation of the secret, this time under Jozef Magala, due, which was justified by the lack of verifiability of the material. For the necessary confinement of the employees of the confidentiality it did not. The media decided not to publish. This is not only because they feared criminal charges, but also because of the lack of reliability of the content.

One last time, employed the theme of the authorities in 2010. This time the studies were apparently set at the urging of the prosecutor Dobroslav Trnka in August 2011, again due to their doubting and lack of proof of their authenticity.

The publication of the transcripts on the Internet and the filing of a criminal complaint by the party SaS on 23 December brought next to a resumption of the investigation by the police and the public's attention with it. The authenticity of the documents in terms of their authenticity, completeness and accuracy as well as the legitimacy of the listening process, they should have brought forth its publication and its use in a criminal trial will continue problematized.

In January, Interior Minister Lipšic called a ten-member inquiry committee under the supervision of the competent Special Prosecutor for organized crime to life, which started its investigation into corruption on 9 January 2012. In Bratislava on 12 January the request of the Slovak Information Service on 21 November 2005 to use listening devices: The Hospodárske noviny against the District Court confirmed ( Krajský súd Slovak). On January 18, 2012, came to the issue of a compound of the Penta and the Slovak energy and electricity works the relevant document from the archives of Prime Minister Iveta Radicova to the Commission of Inquiry, which confirmed the implementation of this action by the Secret Service. He was also awarded a key role in further investigations. After the former intelligence chief Karol Mitrik was released on January 25, 2012 by President Ivan Gašparovič of its secrecy, confirmed he also monitors the apartment. An indication of the authenticity of the documents provides the consistency of the file number and request numbers in the document with which the application to the District Court in Bratislava for permission to monitor. Also, the meeting has been found by many affected people his confirmation last it came to the transfer of a document from the archives of the Government Office, where a key role in the affirmation of the authenticity of Gorilla file is attributed by Prime Minister Iveta Radicova.

Political consequences

Dismissal of Bubeníková

One of the main characters in the listening protocol, the director of the FNM Bubeníková Anna, was born on 11 January 2012 - as recommended by the Economy Minister Juraj Miškov - dismissed with effect from 18 January of the provisional government. The search for a successor was hired by President Gašparovič now. According to the statement of the speaker Marek Trubač the National Property Fund of any new director need two months before the elections, and the Executive Committee could also exercise its functions without director. Without functioning leadership but is endangered according to the newspaper Hospodárske noviny the payment of dividends in a part of state-owned enterprises.

Demonstrations of the population

The first protest against the corruption behavior of politicians took place in Bratislava on 27 January 2012. According to the organizers, the turnout was somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 people in the social network Facebook confirmed more than 4,000 users their participation in the protest. The protesters threw eggs and bananas (in reference to the name of the affair ) to the building of the National Council as well as the grounds of the presidential palace, while " behind bars gorillas " or " high treason " shouted slogans such as.

The biggest demonstrations took place in several Slovak towns on February 3, 2012. In Bratislava, depending on the estimate of between 10,000 and 15,000 people went to the streets. The peaceful protest began on the of SNP and should the order in front of the building of the Slovak Government Office. Among the demands of the protesters included the resignation of several government ministers as Mikuláš Dzurinda ( Foreign Minister ) and Minister Ivan Miklos (Finance Minister ) and other politicians who complete investigation of the scandal as well as the shift of the early parliamentary elections of March after September. Some were members of extreme right-wing groups but violent clashes with the police in the area of ​​the Government Office, and in particular against the building of the National Council, where the policemen brought a water cannon used to stop the unannounced protest. In Košice 3,000 people demonstrated, smaller demonstrations were also held in Nitra, Poprad, Prešov, Trenčín, Žilina and Zvolen.

The demands include the dismissal of the former Prime Minister and present Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikuláš Dzurinda, the Finance Minister Ivan Miklos and Deputy Prime Minister Rudolf Chmel by Iveta Radicova, as the effect of the affair of voluntary privies Minister of Economy Juraj Miškov ( SaS ), the Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik ( KDH ), and the Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrušovský and members of parliament Béla Bugár and Robert Fico. It also urged a postponement of the March 10 election in September, lifting the immunity of deputies and the delivery of all those involved in the cases of persons, including the former intelligence chief Jozef Magala of confidentiality.

Other demonstrations were held on 10 February 2012, but in a smaller degree than in the previous week, with 2,000 people in Bratislava and smaller protests in Ružomberok, Poprad and Kosice. Two days before, was held in Banská Bystrica held a demonstration, where in addition to the previously written demands, the amendment to the Slovak electoral system (see Political System of Slovakia), namely the ability to choose local politicians, strengthening of the means of direct democracy, such as the referendum, were expressed at local, regional and national level. Two weeks later, on 24 February, the demonstration Gorilla IV took place, though. Smaller scale than before, but with significant disorder at the party headquarters of SDKU and Smer At the same time, a part of the protest movement broke away, not only because of differing opinions on the dispute over the annulment of the early parliamentary elections, but also on the form of protest. The new group formed a citizens' initiative called Občania 2012, which submitted proposals to resolve the political crisis. On February 29, there were riots before and in the building of the National Council, as some protesters got to the balcony over the boardroom and deputies and the President of Parliament insulted because of alleged "violation of constitutional rights of the protesters ."