A major corruption scandal has erupted in Slovakia over the illegal use of funds allocated for aid to Ukraine. According to Reuters, eight people, including four employees of the Ministry of Defense, have been detained by police in connection with the case. The prosecutor’s office and European Union authorities are conducting an investigation.
The scandal is related to a purchase made in 2022. At the start of the war, 12,000 mortar shells for Ukraine were bought from the state defense company Konstrukta. Investigators suspect that these shells were purchased at an artificially inflated price. According to the prosecutor’s office, the amount of misappropriated funds may be as high as 7.4 million euros.
Within the framework of this case, the police also tried to detain Slovakia’s former defense minister, Jaroslav Nad, but at that time he was not in the country. Nad is currently on vacation in Canada and is expected to return home at the end of the month. In a statement on social networks, he called the case “theater” and a “political order.”
“I am proud that I helped Ukraine. If necessary, I would do it again. It was only a matter of humanity and responsibility. We defended the victims of Russian aggression. The government of Eduard Heger at that time made the right decision,” Nad emphasized.
For reference, Jaroslav Nad served as Slovakia’s minister of defense from 2020 to 2023. The new government – the administration led by Robert Fico – after the elections announced that it would stop providing military assistance to Ukraine.
This incident has caused heated discussions both in Slovak society and internationally. The results of the investigation may show the real scale of the fight against corruption in the country. At the same time, this case has made the issue of transparency of international aid to Ukraine even more relevant. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!
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