The Dumb Can – that is the nickname that Kočner came up with and would often use for the General Prosecutor during the times when he pretty much ran the rotten General Prosecutor's Office.
Rotten because none of the other prosecutors “noticed” that Kočner's sports car is parked a little too often in front of the Office. None of them “noticed” a hidden camera being installed in the office of their boss. An office where the General Prosecutor and the Minister of Finance would often, very crudely, discuss the thievery and criminal practices of the members of Fico's government, in connection with the abuse of political and constitutional positions of power. You could write a series of novels about all the monkey business going on at the Dumb Can's Office. It happened during a period when the public's trust in the justice system was at an all-time low. A state of affairs which the General Prosecutor's Office played a major part in.
The judiciary and the journalists
We were right to expect, and still are, that the situation will change fundamentally, and that we, the common people, will be able to start believing that the justice system cares even a tiny bit about justice because, without justice, there will be no Slovak state. I must point out here that the journalists are representatives of the general public and nobody has the right to exclude the public from the execution of justice. The silly argument that the General Prosecutor's Office has a small meeting room will not hold up even as a bad joke. Bratislava has many much larger meeting rooms and the absurd reason that the pandemic situation will not allow it can be solved by organizing a press conference outdoors.
On the other hand, we must admit that we could find individuals who betray their principles and professional values not only in the judiciary but among the journalists as well. They publish half-truths, outright lie, get into politics without taking any real responsibility, and they use subversive methods to intentionally distort reality. I could understand if an individual such as that was refused access to a press conference, as long as a proper explanation was given or a documented official ruling regarding their “work” was provided. Let me be a bit more specific. I feel that it would be correct and logical to deny access to Mr. Hríb for instance, but there is no way that we can condone an all-out suppression of entire editorial offices, such as we have witnessed.
Why did they keep quiet?
The press conference should have been held at the same time as the unexpected decision was publicly issued or immediately after, seeing as they say that there have been dozens of errors from the very beginning. This begs the question, where were the people who discovered these errors all along? Why did they keep quiet for such a long time, and why did they leave the “innocent” at the mercy of the “irresponsible” investigators and several “unqualified” tribunals.
Let me say this. The Prosecutor General should not raise their voice, and they should never scream at someone. The screaming is a poignant reminder of the resounding silence that enveloped the Office during the dumb can's time in power.
reklama
