House: Session on No-confidence Motion in Sutaj Estok Begins

Bratislava, November 26 (TASR) - MPs began an extraordinary session on Tuesday afternoon to discuss a no-confidence motion in Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD), which was submitted by MPs from the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and Christian Democrat (KDH) parties. The MPs criticise Sutaj Estok for the current state of the Police Corps and his failure to address bomb threats at schools. They also accuse him of bullying investigators and spreading hoaxes. The opposition 'Slovakia' party has announced that its MPs will support the dismissal of Sutaj Estok. MPs agreed to discussing the motion even after 8 p.m. if necessary. They will vote on the motion on Wednesday, November 27 at 5 p.m. Opposition MPs claim that the head of the Interior Ministry should have taken political responsibility in connection to an incident concerning a police officer who killed a detainee. They also blame him for the police interventions, which they say are accompanied by rude behaviour on the part of police officers. According to the opposition, Sutaj Estok is leading the Police Corps toward disintegration with his incompetent management of the department. Another reason for the minister's dismissal, according to the opposition, is a settlement between the Slovak Interior Ministry and ex-prime minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babis in a dispute concerning the protection of his person relating to his unauthorised registration in the files of the erstwhile communist-era secret service the StB. They also criticise the unprofessional handling of the investigation into the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). The opposition has also raised concerns about the deteriorating security situation. lin/mcs/zel