President's Office Terminates Life-long Salary for Ex-president Kiska

Bratislava, November 14 (TASR) - The President's Office has terminated life-long salary payments to former president Andrej Kiska as of November, based on new legislation which stipulates that former heads of state forfeit their claim to such payments if found guilty of willful crime, TASR learnt from the President's Office press department on Thursday. In October, Presov Regional Court handed down to Kiska a suspended sentence of one year with two years of probation for tax fraud. "The verdict of Presov Regional Court came into effect on the day on which it was issued; that is October 31, 2024, the day on which the right to a salary was rendered null and void by the law," stated the President's Office, adding that it will no longer pay Kiska the salary to avoid violating the law. The case revolves around Kiska's 2013-14 presidential campaign costs, which Kiska put on the books of his company KTAG. The firm subsequently filed an illicit claim for a VAT refund, thus causing the state financial damages of about €155,000. Kiska denies guilt and has announced that he'll file a special motion with the Supreme Court. mf/df