Slovakia’s Prosecutor General’s Office dismissed a criminal case against Prime Minister Robert Fico over his sudden trip to Moscow in December, according to Euractiv.
An event or action does not become a criminal offence just because the complainant designates it as such in a criminal report.
Fico’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 22 December marked the start of nationwide protests that drew more than 100,000 people in more than 40 cities last Friday. His visit also prompted the Peace for Ukraine association to file a criminal complaint against the Slovak prime minister, suspecting that his visit constituted sabotage.
However, prosecutor Aurel Pardubský decided to dismiss the complaint back in late January, saying that it “lacks a criminal law dimension” and was based solely on “political interpretation.”
From publicly available sources, but (coming) from direct participants of the meeting in question, it was consistently confirmed that the subject of the meeting was a discussion – an exchange of views and opinions regarding the issue of ensuring gas supplies from the Russian Federation.
However, Peace for Ukraine criticised the prosecutor’s decision, arguing that Fico’s visit to Moscow contradicted Slovakia’s obligations as an EU member state.
