More Slovak shopkeepers are reporting an increase in petty theft following the Fico government’s reform of the Criminal Code, according to Euractiv.
The law reclassified theft of up to €700 as an administrative offence punishable by a maximum fine of €331, even if repeated. The new legislation came into effect in early August after Slovakia’s Constitutional Court approved several controversial elements of the reform package, declaring them constitutional and allowing their implementation.
One of the first to report an increase in thefts was Slovakia’s largest sports shop chain EXIsport. Its CEO Peter Valo stated:
Teachers are stealing, people in suits are stealing – something we have never seen before. When caught red-handed, they simply say they did it because they can.
Well-known supermarkets, such as Billa and Tesco, also reported an increase in thefts. A spokesperson for Billa Slovakia said:
“Since the approval of the new Criminal Code, Billa Slovakia has observed a significant rise in thefts. The increase primarily involves more valuable and expensive goods.”
Opposition stance
The liberal parties Progressive Slovakia (PS) and Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) shared testimonies they claimed were sent to them by citizens who had recently been victims of unpunished thefts.
They argued at the press conference that before the reform of the Criminal Code, penalties were harsher and served as a deterrent to would-be thieves. Mária KolÃková, former justice minister and SaS MP, declared on Wednesday:
It’s unacceptable that a €700 theft only results in a €300 fine. That’s a real mockery. We will propose that the fine is at least €1,000.
As pressure mounted, attention turned to the government and Justice Minister Boris Susko. While Susko acknowledged that “fines might be increased,” he noted that it was too early to definitively link the increase in crime to changes in the Criminal Code as there was no reliable data.
“Opposition MPs are completely misleading the public and lying in their press conferences, inciting citizens to commit crimes.”
The ruling coalition has already had to revise the original reform, which has gone through the fast-track legislative procedure several times. This was done most recently, in July, to respond to EU Commission concerns that Slovakia’s recently reduced fines and statutes of limitations might not adequately protect EU financial interests. Commission spokesperson stated:
The Commission had made its concerns about the amendments very clear to the Slovak authorities over the past months.
