In this case, secret wiretap recordings between 2005 and 2006 were leaked to the internet, bringing to light millions of Euros in bribes paid by a private equity firm to Slovak government officials in exchange for privatisation and procurement deals.
[1] In order to combat corruption in the country, Slovakia has initiated several corruption reforms in recent years, including the creation of a central contract registry and publishing online all government contracts.
If adopted, these changes would significantly undermine the rule of law and democratic stability, fostering an environment of impunity for corruption.In August 2019, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) urged Slovakia to make more progress on the effectiveness of its legal framework and policies to stop corruption among employees with top executive positions and the police force.
[10] Corruption is ranked as the second most problematic factor for doing business in Slovakia, according to the World Economic Forum’s,[11] after inefficient government bureaucracy.
[12] Companies consider the occurrence of irregular payments and bribes to be fairly common in connection with imports and exports, public utilities, annual tax payment, and awarding of public contracts and licences or obtaining favourable judicial decisions.