Remisova: My Ouster Act of Vengeance for Carrying Out My Lawful Duties

Bratislava, March 25 (TASR) - House committee for conflicts of interest chair Veronika Remisova ('Slovakia'-For the People-KU alliance) perceives the motion to oust her from the post as an act of vengeance, and she reiterated that Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) publicly admitted his ownership of a house in Croatia in the first place, TASR learnt on Tuesday. Remisova reported that Kalinak has submitted a motion for her ouster, and she now faces a potential fine worth 12 salaries, which she sees also as his revenge. In addition, Kalinak claimed that he's filed a criminal complaint, maintaining that Remisova's actions constitute a misuse of a public official's powers. "It's because I drew attention to the fact that Robert Kalinak didn't include his villa in his property declaration ... The governing coalition isn't going to punish the one who has violated the law, Robert Kalinak, but the one who drew attention to it," stated Remisova at a press briefing. Remisova said that all she did as committee chair was to look into property declarations against the background of several inquires as to whether Kalinak's property was properly declared as stipulated by constitutional law. "In the spirit of this law, I looked into the matter as chair of the conflicts of interest committee, and subsequently initiated committee proceedings, the same course of action that we always take when there's a violation of constitutional law," she said, underlining that it is the duty of the committee to take action. Kalinak avers that Remisova violated her powers by publishing confidential information for political gain at a press conference. In his view, the committee chair shouldn't misuse confidential information, and if any breach of the law is found, the committee should convene to discuss the matter behind closed doors first and only subsequently report the outcome. Kalinak claimed that he didn't include his wife's real estate in his property declaration because he wanted to "protect the privacy of his family". To this, Remisova reiterated that she has never published any information about the property owned by relatives. Earlier in the day, Smer-SD lawmakers announced their decision to oust Remisova as the committee head, claiming that she's violated the law and the Constitution. Smer-SD conceded that the post of committee chair should belong to the opposition, but stated that Remisova can't stay in it. mf/df