President: I'll Wait for Results of Relevant Authorities in Govnet Case

Bratislava, June 18 (TASR) – When it comes to the Govnet case, I’d prefer to wait for results from the competent authorities, said President Zuzana Caputova at a briefing on Thursday following her meeting with Vice-premier for Investments and Informatisation Veronika Remisova (For the People), adding that any other approach would be counterproductive.

“I view this case through the media but also through the information I have as president,” said Caputova, adding that it goes without saying that she has information that isn’t available to the media, but she thinks that it’s appropriate for politicians to be reserved in their statements for the time being.

“Given that this is a topic that directly affects the issue of Slovakia’s security and our interests as well as out external image among our foreign partners, I’ll be deliberately reticent on this topic. An investigation is currently under way, and I’m convinced that there’s a need for the relevant authorities to become well acquainted with the situation first,” stated Caputova.

Regarding the Govnet case, Remisova sees a problem in the fact that the state’s key infrastructure is in the hands of a private individual, something that she’s pointed out several times. She rejects claims by her predecessor in office Richard Rasi (Smer-SD) that she recently suspended the project to redesign Govnet and bring the infrastructure under the ownership of the National Agency for Network and Electronic Services (NASES).

“This project wasn’t dealt with for around ten years, then it was prepared. We re-evaluated it due to how the individual components were priced,” added Remisova.

“When the price of a component is €26,000 but it’s sold on the market for €10,000, it’s natural for you to want to check the project, and you want to check whether all the prices as set correspond with reality,” stressed Remisova.