Rusko Links Mojzis to KDH Illegal Public Funding

Chief of the co-ruling New Citizen's Alliance party Pavol Rusko has made public his fears that Slovak Interior Ministry officials have sided with a Banska Bystrica entrepreneur in crusading against him. Rusko, who is also deputy speaker of parliament, thus continues in drawn-out dispute with Banska Bystrica-based Frantisek Mojzis.

The head of the co-ruling ANO party Pavol Rusko has accused Slovak Interior Ministry officials of siding with a Banska Bystrica entrepreneur in crusading against him. By doing this Rusko, who is also deputy speaker of parliament, continues in his drawn-out dispute with Banska Bystrica-based Frantisek Mojzis, who blamed Rusko early in 2003 for abusing his media holdings to obtain funds from business partners by forcing them to provide loans to friendly firms. Former chief of the private television station Markiza, Rusko testified before special prosecutors regarding Mojzis's renewed accusations last week of blackmail against him. Mojzis, head of the Drukos organisation, had allegedly provided ANO a million crowns a month for many months. Drukos is one of a long line of non-banking businesses that borrowed funds on the promise of unreasonably high interest rate returns and closed up in 2002 claiming insolvency.

Rusko also told prosecutors of illegal party-funding suspicions when Drukos secured Sk10 million under an agreement with the firm Maana, which is reportedly close to the KDH. Allegedly, Maana then settled the purchase price of the KDH headquarters on Zabotova Street in Bratislava. The building also contains the headquarters of the SMK (Hungarian Coalition Party) and other political entities. The Christian Democrats, the KDH flatly deny Rusko's statements, saying the party will initiate a libel action, spokesperson Laura Dyttertova said, adding that Mojzis has never donated any money to the KDH [which incidentally holds the top position at the Interior Ministry through Vladimir Palko]. Back in March, Rusko complained to prosecutors for the first time about Mojzis' false accusations against him. Mojzis allegedly told investigators a month earlier that Rusko exerts media pressure on him.