Former president Michal Kovac met up with former prime minister and head of opposition party Smer-SD, Robert Fico, in an attempt to convince him to get his party to support the revocation of the so-called Meciar Amnesties, which revolved around the kidnapping of Kovac’s son.
Speaking in an interview for the ‘.tyzden’ magazine, Kovac explained that he had met with Fico and that he had explained his position to him, while cautioning Fico to be careful that he is not left with the Joker in his hand. Fico has made it clear that his party is against the cancellation of amnesties on principle, while offering the alternative that parliament merely issue declarations condemning the kidnapping of the president’s son, Michal Kovac Jr, instead.
Kovac referred to Fico’s suggested alternative as a half-boiled solution, saying that compromises cannot be made when it comes to moral issues. Kovac is therefore calling on support to allow the kidnapping case to be brought before the courts, but this would only be possible if the Meciar Amnesties were to be revoked.
Kovac believes that most of the Smer-SD MPs themselves (with the exception of those formerly in HZDS) would probably vote in favour of cancelling the amnesties if they were allowed to what they felt right. The Meciar Amnesties hot potato has been thrown around for years, though, and even now parliament has had to defer debate on it until the session in September.
Kovac would regard it as nothing short of a small miracle if the motion were to be passed in parliament. If it were, Kovac feels that it would be a milestone change in Slovak society.
Kovac also claims that he was offered a deal back in 1995 when Vladimir Meciar (PM at the time) allegedly mediated a message to him via current president Ivan Gasparovic that Kovac’s son would no longer be incriminated in the Technopol case if criminal proceedings regarding the kidnapping were halted. Kovac did not accept the offer, though,
The case is one of the most complicated in recent Slovak history and raises many questions about scruples, morals and just how far certain webs can reach in Slovakia. Let’s hope all worms come out of the bag eventually.