Prime Minister Mečiar Testifies at Court in Liščák and Company vs. VMV Publishing House Case

BRATISLAVA (SITA) - On Thursday Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar testified in Bratislava District Court I in the trial Liščák and Company vs. VMV publishing house, publisher of the independent daily SME, commonly referred to as the "Cabinet against SME" case. Journalists were denied access to the proceedings. The court also heard testimonies from ex-Foreign Minister Juraj Schenk, ex-Interior Minister Ľudovít Hudek, and Privatization Minister Peter Bisák. After Mečiar finished his testimony, the lawyer for the defense raised an objection to the clear bias on the part of the court. Justice Fakanová interrupted the trial and adjourned it indefinitely. The first part of the personal protection trial started on Wednesday when Minister of Culture Ivan Hudec and ex-Economy Minister Ján Ducký delivered their testimonies. Eighteen Cabinet ministers as plaintiffs are suing VMV over a SME report on the death of Róbert Remiáš, that allegedly caused the plaintiffs serious psycho logical trauma and harmed their civic honor and human dignity. The controversial statement in the report read: "These are the first victims of the political Cold War that the Slovak Cabinet wages against citizens of Slovakia." The plaintiffs` attorney, J. Smetana, stated that the story created the impression that Cabinet members were responsible for Remiáš death. Peter Tóth, SME editor, was the first journalist who alleged that Róbert Remiáš, a former police officer who died in a ar blast in April 1996 was the second victim of the SIS conspiracy against ex-president`s son Michal Kováč Jr. Remiáš kept contacts with Oskar F., a SIS officer, who acknowledged taking part in Kováč`s kidnapping to Austria and is now in exile. Before investigation started, an Interior Ministry spokesman claimed that the mysterious explosion of Remiáš`s car was caused by a technical defect. An investigator assigned to the case declared that it was a murder, but no one h as been indicted. On March 3, after the Cabinet took over a considerable portion of presidential competencies, Prime Minister Mečiar decided to grant amnesty covering, according to some observers, also the Remiáš case. In November 1996 the Banska Bystrica District Court complied the suit by 18 former and current Cabinet ministers. October 1997 saw the cancellation of this verdict by the Kosice Regional Court. Based on VMV appeal, the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic decided that Bratislava District Court 1 will hear the case.