Environment Ministry: Hlina's Statements Aim to Politically Discredit Taraba

Bratislava, February 24 (TASR) - The only goal of Alojz Hlina's statements, an opposition MP from Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, is the political discrediting of Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee), stated the ministry's communications department in response to Alojz Hlina's (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) claims that Taraba worked for a company involved in land fraud schemes with unknown owners. "Today's tittle-tattle by MP Alojz Hlina only proves that he is lost not only on the topic but also in time. It's well-known that Tomas Taraba has never been a managing director of any of the mentioned companies and has no knowledge of any illicit practices. Furthermore, the case, which was supposed to serve only for political discrediting, has been repeatedly investigated by the police," the ministry stated in response. According to Taraba, no crime was found, and Hlina, who once criticised Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) for "stuffing himself with lobsters with oligarchs at the Albrecht Hotel," but later went on to co-found a political party with him [Good Choice - ed. note], only proves that with his constant attacks on anyone who outshines him in politics, he no longer even believes his own words. "The topic that Hlina is desperately trying to keep alive is years old, long overplayed, and a failed tune that opposition media and NGOs funded from abroad reported on years ago, with its only purpose being political discrediting," Taraba added. At a briefing on Monday, Hlina stated that the Environment Ministry is led by a person who represented a company involved in a scheme of fraud with land owned by unknown individuals. According to Hlina, the case involving Minister Taraba concerns lucrative land in Bratislava's borough of Ruzinov, which is now under significant developer interest. lin/mcs