Slovakia tries to arrest ex-minister over military aid to Ukraine

Aktuality reported, the information.

Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok, shortly after the media reports emerged, confirmed that the National Unit for Combating Organized Crime (ÚBOK) is carrying out a series of operations to detain individuals and seize items.

“A criminal case has been opened in this matter by a prosecutor from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office,” the minister stated.

According to Aktuality sources, the issue of purchasing and subsequently transferring artillery mines and ammunition to Ukraine is being handled by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office due to suspicions that the process violated the law.

The circumstances surrounding the transfer of military equipment to Ukraine have been under investigation by Slovak police for some time.

In November last year, Matúš Šutaj Eštok established a special unit within the National Unit for Combating Organized Crime to investigate these circumstances.

Šutaj Eštok accused Jaroslav Naď and the previous government of leaving Slovakia “bare and barefoot” at a time when the world is on the brink of a dangerous conflict.

Naď is currently on vacation in Canada, as he shared on social media.

“Today’s spectacle, to be honest, neither surprised nor unsettled me. I’ve been expecting such a theatrical performance for several months. I’ve spoken about this openly. They (the Slovak government – Ed.) need to cover up their incompetence, the impoverishment of citizens, and their theft, so they’re looking for distractions,” Naď commented on the police actions.

The ex-minister will return from vacation at the end of the month and, according to him, will be fully available to the police.

Meanwhile, the police have detained Alexander Gursky, the former head of the state enterprise Konštrukty Defense, and are attempting to detain Peter Kozak, the former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense, who is currently in Slovakia.

• In March 2023, the then Slovak government under Eduard Heger decided to transfer 13 MiG-29 fighter jets and components of the Kub air defense system to Ukraine. The transfer was officially completed in April.
• Last year, it became known that Slovak authorities requested the police to investigate the former government and Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď over the transfer of the MiG-29 fighters and Kub air defense system to Ukraine.