Constitutional Court Dismisses Fico's and Kalinak's Complaints in Twilight Case

Kosice, October 24 (TASR) - The Constitutional Court has dismissed complaints lodged by Prime Minister Robert Fico and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (both Smer-SD) relating to the Twilight case, which concerned the procedure for preliminary proceedings. The complainants objected to the fact that a judge of the Specialised Criminal Court in August 2022 did not himself decide on their appeal and forwarded it to a prosecutor of the then Special Prosecutor's Office for processing. Fico and Kalinak filed the complaint with the Constitutional Court in October 2022, when they were charged with the crimes of establishing, masterminding and supporting a criminal group, abuse of power and compromising confidential tax information. In the course of the criminal proceedings, they objected to what they viewed as inappropriate disclosure of information on the charges and the violation of their right of access to the case file. Fico and Kaliaak argued before the Constitutional Court that their right to an effective legal remedy, the right to a fair trial, the right to a defence and the right to be informed of the nature and grounds of the charges had been violated. They sought an order for the pre-trial judge to deal with their appeals himself. They also demanded compensation for non-pecuniary damages amounting to €5,000. An investigator of the National Crime Agency (NAKA) in the Twilight case indicted then opposition MP Fico, Kalinak and two other individuals in April 2022. The Prosecutor-General's Office eventually dropped the charges in November of that year due to violations of provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and the law. zel/df