Gašpar will be punished with a salary deduction of 15 percent for one month, decided Pellegrini, who thus ended the disciplinary proceedings.
The president, who appoints the head of the SIS and can eventually dismiss him, mentioned that the investigation did not prove Gašpar’s direct fault in the accident, but confirmed the violation of traffic regulations.
He pointed out that as an ordinary driver, Gašpar would have received a fine of 50 euros (1,218 crowns) from the police. He justified the harsher punishment by the fact that Gašpar is a public official to whom higher demands are placed. In response, Gašpar stated that he respects the punishment imposed as part of the disciplinary proceedings
The incident happened at the end of August 2025, when Gašpar overtook a vehicle that was turning left in front of him. The investigation revealed that he was driving at a speed of 54 kilometers per hour, slightly more than the speed limit in that section, and also that he began overtaking at a point where he could no longer safely complete the maneuver before the dashed line turned into a solid one.
No one was injured in the accident, although the original information spoke of a minor injury to a minor passenger in the second car.
The public’s attention was also attracted by the car that Gašpar was driving – a sporty yellow Dodge Challenger. According to media findings, the car was not listed in his property declaration, which raised suspicions that the head of the secret service had not concealed part of his property. Gašpar subsequently explained that the car is registered to the family company, in which he was formerly a partner.
President Pellegrini stated that he does not consider this fact to be a circumvention of the law on property relations of public officials. According to him, Gašpar should only list the car in the next property declaration, if required by law.
Who is the head of SIS?
- Pavel Gašpar is the son of former police chief Tibor Gašpar, who currently works as the deputy speaker of the parliament for the Smer-SD party. Originally, he was supposed to be the head of SIS, but his nomination did not take place because of the criminal prosecution and charges he is facing in a corruption case.
- The appointment of Pavel Gašpar to the head of the SIS in 2024 provoked criticism from the opposition, according to which it is a manifestation of the politicization of the secret service. However, Prime Minister Robert Fico and President Pellegrini defended his nomination as professional and independent.
- Even the head of the SIS himself is facing criticism because of the properties that the thirty-year-old could hardly have earned. It concerns several properties.
