According to the register of public sector partners, the final users of the company’s benefits are Vladimír Šalitroš and Diana Šalitrošová. The brother of the current state secretary of the Ministry of Investments, Vladimír Šalitroš, was not detained.
The anti-corruption unit ÚBOK shined a light on the project, which was officially declared as “Innovation of the production process of the company XXX, s.r.o.”
The company Nat Design recorded significant success even during the official government of Ľudovít Ódor, when it received a subsidy in the amount of more than 860 thousand euros (over 20.8 million crowns) in the Eurofund call of the Ministry of Economy. The total cost of the project was to reach 1.27 million euros (almost 31 million crowns). The private owner should have bought modern machinery for the production of furniture with public money and modernized his production.
“According to the findings so far, documents declaring the proper implementation of the project and the fulfillment of the conditions for the payment of European funds should have been presented to the provider of financial resources, although the purchased technological equipment was allegedly not actually put into operation,” the police said in the report.
According to the police, the expensive machines were not involved in the production process at all, and some of them even remained stored completely outside the place where the project was to be implemented.
During the intervention, the investigators secured technological equipment procured from a European fund project, accounting, business and extensive project documentation, contractual documents and electronic data carriers.
Šalitroš denies the accusations
State Secretary Radomír Šalitroš rejects the accusation and claims that the project was created during the government of Eduard Heger and was approved during the official cabinet of Ľudovít Ódor. According to him, it is not related to his current political activities. He also emphasizes that the machines were actually purchased and their existence was verified twice by inspectors of the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency.
However, according to Šalitroš, the SIEA inspection ended negatively due to the fact that the technology was located in another hall – seven meters from the original building in the same area. This was followed by a 100% correction and the initiation of an investigation. Meanwhile, the company has agreed with the state to return all funds by May 2027.
Pressures and threats?
Šalitroš also claims that the intervention has a political background. He states that in recent months he faced pressure and threats in connection with his departure from the Hlas party, from which he left after disputes with Minister Samuel Migaľ. According to him, people connected to the party indicated to him that if he is not “obedient”, the inspection will turn out negatively.
“Over the past months, we have repeatedly faced pressure, threats and messages that if we do not ‘cooperate’ politically, our families, businesses or loved ones will be dealt with through various state authorities. If the security forces and control authorities were to serve as a tool of political struggle, it would be a problem that goes beyond one case,” said Šalitroš.
He wants to decide on his further political activity after meeting with Prime Minister Robert Fice and Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok.
In the past, the company Nat design received almost 900 thousand euros (almost 22 million crowns) from European funds. According to the available data, he also records tax arrears of over 126,000 euros (more than 3 million crowns) and a smaller debt to the Social Insurance Company. The investigation continues.
