Matovic Testifies Before Police on Alleged Tax Fraud
Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) – OLaNO-NOVA chairman Igor Matovic was summoned to the Police Corps presidium in Bratislava on Wednesday to provide testimony concerning the sale of his former company that according to Prime Minister Robert Fico involved a massive tax fraud.
Matovic came to police accompanied by his lawyer Daniel Lipsic – former justice and interior minister and chairman of the ‘NOVA’ part of Matovic’s party. Also present was OLaNO-NOVA candidate for the March 5 general election Jan Budaj, famous for his role in the November 1989 Velvet Revolution.
“I don’t have anything to hide; I’ve come to repeat it. If you’re interested in my personal feelings, then I’m going there with a sentiment of someone standing against an absolute power play,” Matovic told journalists before the questioning.
Matovic eventually spent four hours with the police investigator. “As for the course of the questioning, I think that it was carried out appropriately by both the investigator and the prosecutor present. It was an 11-page testimony. I didn’t say anything new apart from what already had been said in the media,” said Matovic.
He reiterated that in his view the case has been orchestrated “by a certain gentleman from Government Office”. At the same time Matovic said that he didn’t think that he was unable to respond to any questions, even though he didn’t remember all the details of the sale after eight years. He promised to provide all details within a week, however.
Lipsic told the media that police in the case have launched prosecution for the crime of manipulating business data. According to him, the legal qualification of the case is purpose-built.
Police on Monday came to the house of Matovic’s grandmother to seize evidence on the MP’s business past. Matovic presented them more than 60 boxes loaded with documents and stated that they can prove that he didn’t commit a tax fraud when selling his former company.
Fico last week at a press conference claimed that in order to avoid a tax inspection, Matovic several years ago transferred his company regionPress to a strawman, discarded all accounting documents and laundered the equivalent of some €4 million.
Matovic dismissed Fico’s statements as lies.
