Sakova: Valiliky and Rimavska Sobota Industrial Parks Failures of Former Gov't

Bratislava, November 15 (TASR) - Wrongdoings found by the Supreme Audit Authority (NKU) in the process of the preparation and construction of Valiliky pri Kosiciach and Rimavska Sobota industrial parks reflect the work of former governments, Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) stated at a press conference on Friday. By the time Sakova took over the post, the projects had fallen into arrears and their land plots were in bad shape, which led to increased costs. Sakova underlined that Slovakia was not only facing the danger of fines but also potential withdrawal of investors from the country. "The first challenge waiting for us was to reverse the damage Slovakia faced, not only in the form of direct fines and penalties, but additional costs in particular stemming from the failure to meet deadlines as well as indirect damage that would have been incurred if the investors had left Slovakia," said Sakova. The Economy Minister claimed that she had held talks with the investors and managed to meet most of the deadlines. That, however, incurred additional costs in the wake of the unprofessional work by the previous governments in 2020-23. As a result, construction costs of the Valaliky industrial park swelled from the original €46 million to €92 million. In the same vein, the duration of construction works in Rimavska Sobota went 20 weeks beyond the original timetable, which amounted to an additional €1.4 million. mf/mcs