Bratislava – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has initiated criminal proceedings regarding the procurement of IT solutions for the public administration portal slovensko.sk. This involves allegations of manipulation in public procurement and threats to the financial interests of the European Union at the attempt stage, as announced by the foundation Zastavme korupciu on social media, according to TASR.
The foundation reported that, at the end of the previous year, it, along with Slovensko.Digital, highlighted questionable expenditures amounting to around 130 million euros, initiated by Minister Samuel Migaľ (independent). “This pertained to the redesign of the slovensko.sk portal. We submitted a criminal complaint regarding one specific IT solution purchase,” the foundation Zastavme korupciu stated.
Specifically, the complaint addressed the acquisition of an IAM license for the slovensko.sk portal for 17.8 million euros. The foundation claimed that the procurement conditions were crafted to favor the company Barclet, linked to the long-term supplier GlobalTel.
The criminal complaint was filed at the end of October of last year. At that time, the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatization (MIRRI) of the Slovak Republic expressed its support for the complaint, stating it was “absurd” and that its failure would provide the public with further evidence that the actions taken were entirely lawful and advantageous for Slovakia.
The investment department noted that the foundation overlooked certain facts and misrepresented information, asserting that MIRRI had maintained communication and responded to all inquiries. It clarified that licenses from Barclet have been in use on the slovensko.sk portal since 2015, although they allegedly do not meet the necessary capacity and functionality requirements according to MIRRI. The aim of the procurement was supposed to be their enhancement. (22 January)
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