Lipsic: USP Prosecutors Provided Whistleblowers with Protection in Line with Law

        Bratislava/Pezinok, November 27 (TASR) - Prosecutors of the Special Prosecutor's Office (USP) provided whistleblowers with protection in full accordance with the law, Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipsic said at a press briefing on Monday, in response to the criminal complaint filed by Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) over the circumstances under which protection was provided to investigators centred around Jan Curilla.
        According to Lipsic, if there is a qualified report and a request for protection, the prosecutor is obliged to provide such protection without delay. If they didn't do this, they'd be acting arbitrarily. He emphasised that the provision of protection was extensively justified by the prosecutors beyond the scope of the law.
        The special prosecutor went on to say that such protection can also be provided to a police officer. "And especially when they are aware of the illegal activity of other bodies, which may also concern the Police Corps. For example, illegal activity caused by interference in the investigation of specific cases," pointed out Lipsic.
        The lawyer of the investigators centred around Jan Curilla, Peter Kubina, posted on a social network that he considers the criminal complaint to be legal nonsense and another attempt to put pressure on independent law enforcement institutions.
        The minister believes that the protection has been provided in an unlawful manner and that a crime of misusing a public official's powers has been committed. In late October, Sutaj Estok decided to suspend six police officers centred around Curilla who had been investigating high-profile corruption cases linked to Smer-SD nominees. As the investigators enjoyed the status of protected whistleblowers, the Whistleblowers' Protection Office claims that the minister should have approached it first.