Slovakia’s crime agency charges senior officers with corruption

ATHENS

Slovakia’s National Criminal Agency (NAKA) has charged several intelligence and law enforcement officers with corruption in a move that has shaken the country’s political scene, local media reported Thursday.

The heads of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) and National Security Bureau (NSB) are among those charged, the state-run TASR news agency reported, adding the country’s National Security Council would convene on Friday to review the matter.

In total, seven senior police and intelligence officers are accused of abuse of power and criminal conspiracy by NAKA, the agency noted.

According to the first case, which concerns five officers, they intended to hamper or thwart investigations of corruption and other crimes to give the impression of manipulation of witness statements by investigators and also to discredit law enforcement authorities.

In the second case, two officers are charged with abusing the authority of a public office out of revenge.

The opposition Direction-Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party called NAKA’s move a police coup aimed at liquidating the opposition and asked Police Chief Stefan Hamran to be removed from office.

The Voice-Social Democracy (HLAS-SD) party said the charges against the officers six weeks before elections aim to manipulate the results. ​​​​​