Slovakia Provokes Fight With EU With Latest Judicial Overhaul
- Coalition approves softening punishment, scrapping prosecutor
- Fico moves forward with challenge to rule of law standards
Robert Fico
Photographer: Michaela Nagyidaiova/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Slovakia approved a package that softens punishment for a raft of crimes and abolishes the special prosecutor’s office, setting up a potential battle with the European Union over accusations of weakening the fight against corruption.
Prime Minister Robert Fico, who returned to office last year on a campaign in which he slammed the opposition for launching probes against his party, wielded his parliamentary majority to push through the changes to the criminal code. The changes shorten statutes of limitations, reduce mandatory sentences and scrap a body that had pursued the most serious corruption cases.