Former SIS Head Pčolinský: The Ministry of the Interior should be headed by Prime Minister Heger! – Topky.sk

Investigators of the Očistec team ended up in custody last week. When did the war in the security forces begin? And what can end it? We talked to the former director of the SIS, Vladimír Pčolinský, who himself ended up in custody and at the end of August the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Slovak Republic dropped all charges.

When did the “war” start and what was the trigger for it?

In my opinion, at first it had the character of a Cold War, it was not open. I am convinced that it began with the appointment of Petr Kovařík as President of the Police Force. It was during his tenure that the long-standing internal conflicts began to escalate, which were on the one hand within the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) and also between various departments, units of the Police Force.

Can you determine a specific period from your point of view?

This was at a time when individual officials were beginning to go after their necks in the form of criminal proceedings. If you make a personnel policy in the security forces using the tools of criminal proceedings, it always escalates to greater and greater tension, the conflict increases.

You were as the director of the secret service, respectively. SIS part of this war from the beginning?

Not. We did not have such conflicts within the service. You will either make order in the beginning or it will get out of hand. I’ve always tried to prevent it. I united people, not pitted them against each other. And as for the other components, we had a really good cooperation with NAKA, with the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior, with Military Intelligence and also with the Criminal Office of Financial Administration. We have had excellent relationships with all the people assigned to contact us.

According to the media, SIS information is now part of the war in the security forces. It is included in the “group” of the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Inspectorate of the Ministry of the Interior. Does that mean the new leadership has drawn her into this war?

I do not think so. I see it more as a hybrid war. This is more due to the fact that politicians and some media are attacking the SIS, as if the service were really involved in a conflict.

And involved?

Based on what I see, it doesn’t seem that way to me.

Is the war in the security forces related to your detention or even your release?

I think my case was just one of several that are part of that conflict. It was not directly related to the beginning or the end of my detention. Rather, I think I was one of the catalysts that some processes began to happen.

Last week, an inspection by the Ministry of the Interior detained investigators in the most serious cases, Ján Čurilla, Pavel Ďurka and two others. These are investigators from the Očistec team. Did you expect such an end to the ongoing war?

The question is whether this is any conclusion. By not knowing the investigation file and not knowing what information was gathered after March 11 (the day he was detained), I did not have the opportunity to expect anything, to anticipate any developments.

What do you think about the work of detained investigators?

I don’t know any of them. The only one I saw was Mr. Curilla, who came to arrest me at five in the morning with the NAKA intervention group. That was my only contact. Therefore, I cannot comment on their work.

Is this satisfaction for you?

Not. If a cop goes into custody, it’s sad. If the court saw the reasons for this, I have nothing to say.

Throughout the week, it has been whispered in political corridors that Interior Minister Roman Mikulec and Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipšic are to be equally detained. He has already stated that he expects them to come after him as well …

I’ve heard it more than once. I do not know to what extent this information should be based on a real basis. I am not aware of any evidentiary situation in a possible case when such invasive acts could occur. Therefore, I cannot comment on this topic.

You can imagine that the head of the SIS is arrested first, then the Minister of the Interior and a special prosecutor. What is the picture of our country?

The picture is terrible.

Already?

Yes. It’s already terrible. The whole thing can be ugly marked by the historical series War of the Ox. It would be really bad if it continued.

When do you think the war in the security forces will end? Resp. how could it end?

I think that this conflict, which is manifesting itself in the various institutions and within them, could end if there was an exchange in the post of Minister of the Interior. When a person who is serious, respects, takes up this post. Subsequently, relations within the prosecutor’s office could also be adjusted.

Minister Mikulec regularly faces appeals from the opposition in parliament. If you were a Member, would you support him in office?

It is a hypothetical question, I am not a Member of Parliament.

You have already indicated what you think of him. Try to develop it.

You can see the situation of the security forces. And especially those that fall within its scope. I would just say so much … Given the seriousness of the situation, I think that the ideal candidate for the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior is Prime Minister Eduard Heger. At the same time, however, he should remain prime minister. It is he who should take the arrangement of relations at the Ministry of the Interior under his patronage. If they consider resolving the situation to be so serious, it must be resolved immediately. I also see other potential candidates for the post of Minister of the Interior who could solve the bad situation.

Who do you think?

Member of Parliament Gábor Grendel, State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior Ján Lazar or State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Marcel Klimek. All of them have real experience with the Ministry of the Interior and are well oriented in it.

On one blog, information appeared that the OČTK had at their disposal the wiretaps of both gentlemen at court, as they allegedly managed the activities of detained investigators. Have you read the wiretaps? What does it mean? Do you think they are real? Who made them?

I haven’t read this blog. However, I saw escaped accusations where there were some passages from spatial interceptions. This is the only thing I read. From what is there, it was demonstrably legal interceptions approved by the district court in Bratislava and made by the office of the inspection service. The content is, in my opinion, quite serious. The accused investigators did not know that they were recording them. They talked quite freely about how to “fit” certain crimes to specific people. This is either to the jurisdiction of the special prosecutor’s office or to be able to involve as many people as possible in criminal proceedings. It is not right to say that we first “make up” an act and then “make” official records or “get” evidence. First, they must have real evidence, and then they can speculate whether they will make a criminal group or corruption. Do we fabricate an act and then obtain evidence ex post? It emerged from one of those discussions. One of the investigators even had to say that it was too much for him.

Do you know your successor in SIS? Are you communicating with him?

Yes, I know him. After I am 18.3. service in the SIS has ended, I have no reason to communicate further with officials or members of the service.

Prime Minister Heger convened the Security Council and set up a working group. According to the prime minister, it should restore credibility and restore confidence in the rule of law. Does this group make sense in this excited period? Will this group end the war in the security forces?

I don’t think it will end. It’s not about setting up the system, but always about the specific people who are in the system. You can come up with the most perfect system and it won’t work for you because people won’t either know how to work together or at least communicate meaningfully. On the other hand, you can achieve good results even in a relatively bad system if you have good people there.

The chairman of We Are the Family refused to participate in the work of this group on his part and spoke about the “Čurill Mafia”, later he used the term “new mafia”. On which side are we the family that nominated you for the position of SIS Director?

I do not want to speak for We are a family, as I am not a member, but as I read from the statements, We are a family does not want to stand by anyone. We are a family claiming that when there was a mafia, it does not want another, but more beautifully “sung” in the media. It cannot be the case here that “the purpose of the holy means” or “when the forest is cut down, splinters fly.” Because these “splinters” are living people.

Source: Topky / Earth Pit

In the next part of the interview, you will read:

What assets and income did Vladimír Pčolinský and his wife have? Has he reconsidered relations with several people behind the walls of the Leopold Prison? Which of the familiar faces wanted to vouch for him? Has his case definitively ended, or are investigators working on it again?