Hlina: Environment Ministry Led by Person Linked to Land Fraud Scheme

Bratislava, February 24 (TASR) - The Environment Ministry is led by a person who previously represented a company involved in a land fraud scheme with unknown owners, MP Alojz Hlina from the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) stated at a briefing on Monday in front of the Environment Ministry building in Bratislava, referring to current Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee). According to Hlina, during the investigation of the 'Sykorovci' crime gang, a case was documented where land belonging to unknown owners was fraudulently handled through the land registry, using various fake and fabricated sales contracts that were then "laundered" through multiple companies. "As a result, the land ended up in the hands of certain individuals who supposedly acquired it 'in good faith.' What's shocking is that Minister Taraba is involved in this disgusting scam through one of the companies," Hlina explained. According to Hlina, the case involving Minister Taraba concerns lucrative land in Bratislava's borough of Ruzinov, which is now under major developer interest. "It's about huge sums of money, and of course, the temptation was great," stated Hlina. "However, it seems that the investigation won't take place. After all, Taraba made sure that these actions would either be amnestied or time-barred through an amendment to the Criminal Code," Hlina added. lin/mcs