In Slovakia, parliament on Thursday debated lifting the immunity of former Prime Minister Robert Fico.

He is accused by the investigative authorities of systematically abusing authorities to discredit political opponents and of leading a criminal organization for this purpose.

The police want to arrest the leader of the now opposition Smer-SD party, which belongs to the European Social Democrats, because of the risk of blacking out and influencing witnesses.

The immunity committee approved Fico's extradition on Wednesday evening.

Until a decision is made by the National Council, the debate, which began in a particularly spirited manner on Thursday with several calls for order, could drag on into next week.

Stephen Lowenstein

Political correspondent based in Vienna.

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Fico described the prosecution as a political vendetta and an attempt to silence the opposition.

He led the government in Pressburg (Bratislava) for three terms.

In 2018 he had to resign following the murder of the journalist Jan Kuciak, who, among other things, had researched Mafia involvement right up to the prime minister's office.

With Fico, his then interior minister and close political confidante Robert Kaliňák and police chief Tibor Gašpar had to leave their posts.

Both are now also among the accused, as is a businessman close to them.

Kaliňák, who is now working as a lawyer again, was taken into custody last week.

Fight against mafia structures

After Fico's party was voted out of office in 2020, the subsequent centre-right government under Igor Matovič, who was replaced as prime minister last year by his party friend Eduard Heger, dedicated itself to purging offices and the judiciary of mafia-like structures.

Numerous officials, some of them high-ranking, whose corrupt involvement had come to light, among other things, through disclosed chats, have already been charged, and a former police chief committed suicide in prison.

The direct perpetrators of the double murder of Kuciak and his fiancé Martina Kušnírová have already been convicted, and the retrial against the alleged masterminds is still ongoing.

Fico and Kaliňák are now accused of using the police and financial administration to fight political opponents when they were in power.

According to the police, the main victims were former President Andrej Kiska and Igor Matovič, who is now finance minister and still the leader of the strongest governing party.

Fico had called Kiska and Matovič tax fraudsters when he was prime minister and is said to have leaked non-public information about Kiska's company.

In Slovakia, parliamentary immunity, which specifically refers to votes and statements in parliament, does not protect against prosecution, but against imprisonment.

Because the public prosecutor's office has requested that Fico be taken into custody to prevent witness tampering and other obstructions, a parliamentary decision is required.

Right at the beginning of the debate, Fico shouted that they wanted to lock him and his followers up “like chickens” and that they would not put up with that.

The Parliament Presidency had to issue several calls to order.

In the afternoon, hundreds of Smer-SD supporters gathered in front of the parliament.

Fico's statement that it is a matter of political persecution falls on fertile ground, at least for some Slovaks.