Slovakia approves criminal law reforms that sparked protests

(Reuters) – The Slovak parliament has passed reforms that abolish a special prosecution unit for high-level crime and reduce penalties for financial crimes in a rapid procedure on Thursday. There have been public protests and concerns from the European Commission.

Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government, which came to power last October for the fourth time after a period in opposition, claims that the changes are necessary to end what it sees as excesses at the Special Prosecutor’s Office and bias against the now-ruling SMER-SSD party.

“The previous government… disrupted the principles of the rule of law and violated human rights,” SMER deputy Tibor Gaspar, a former police chief who is currently under investigation, told parliament.

The government argues that the changes modernize the criminal code by reducing long prison sentences and favoring alternative punishments.

President Zuzana Caputova immediately indicated that she would seek to block the changes, possibly through a veto or a legal challenge.

The opposition, as well as tens of thousands of Slovaks who protested at rallies across the country in recent weeks, argue that the changes will shield Fico’s political and business allies from investigations.

Deputy Michal Sipos from the opposition Slovensko party called the law a “monstrous amnesty” for that circle.

In December, the European Commission urged the government not to fast-track the changes and expressed concerns about certain reforms, including the continuity of investigations into high-level corruption and the adequate protection of EU funds. The commission’s letter to the Slovak government, seen by Reuters, raised these concerns.

An EU official stated on Thursday that the commission’s concerns persist, which could potentially lead to legal action and budgetary consequences. The EU has taken similar action against Poland and Hungary in the past.

The government has claimed that it was consulting with the EU on the reform and had made some last-minute changes to its proposal, but it is unclear if this will alleviate the concerns.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague; additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels; editing by Jonathan Oatis)