Fico faces charges not of corruption but of setting up a criminal group

The police charged ex-PM Robert Fico of setting up a criminal group, and also charged ex-minister Robert Kaliňák (both Smer) and lawyer Marek Para. They detained the latter two but not Fico, as parliament must first agree to this. According to the charges, in 2012-18 the police protected the so-called "our people" and went after Smer’s opponents, such as ex-President Andrej Kiska, Igor Matovič, and prosecutor Vasiľ Špirko. Oligarch Norbert Bödör and ex-Police Chief Tibor Gašpar were also members of the group.

Fico says the move is political prosecution. His lawyer is David Lindtner, an ex-judge facing corruption charges. Hlas, a clone of Smer, also talks about abusing the police for political ends. The ruling coalition welcomed the charges and says it learned about them from the media.

(aktuality.sk)