Following a financial audit at former state-owned TV broadcaster STV, culture minister Daniel Krajcer has called the revelations scandalous, while pointing the finger also at former STV head Stefan Niznansky.
While Niznansky was in charge, Krajcer claims the broadcaster spent around EUR 3.8 million illegitimately against budgetary rules and that there were strong suspicions of fraud, manipulated bookkeeping and abuse of funds. Krajcer has therefore decided to lodge a criminal complaint on the findings.
Krajcer declared that “tens of millions of Slovak koruna were stolen” and that the audit marked the first step in the cleansing of the audiovisual sector.
STV was merged at the beginning of this year with Slovak Radio to create a single broadcaster, Slovak Radio and Television (RTVS). Spokesman for RTVS, Richard Sumeghy, said that the new broadcasting corporation agrees with some of the audit’s findings.
Former head of STV Stefan Niznansky hit back that it was all just part of a smear campaign, saying he regarded the vicious accusations as another example of politically motivated persecution.
Niznansky says he believes that the money was spent properly based on the contract between the broadcaster and the state, which was discussed and approved with the Ministry of Culture in 2009.