Slovakia - August 2024

On 8 August, the Government announced that the National Crime Agency (NAKA) will be dismantled, effective 31 August. NAKA, an elite police unit tasked with investigating serious crimes, part of which involves cases of high-level corruption, terrorism and organized crime, was also a partner of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). The Government justifies the decision as part of a broader reform of the Criminal Code, which has received approval from the Constitutional Court and also resulted in the dissolution of the Special Prosecutor’s Office. The Government argues that this change is necessary to improve police efficiency in addressing crime, including high-level corruption. NAKA will be replaced by the Office for the Fight Against Organised Crime (ÚBOK), which will redistribute around 700 specially trained police officers to various regional and local districts across the country. The 2024 EU Rule of Law Report on Slovakia (published in July) highlighted the disbandment of NAKA, noting that fewer corruption cases will be handled by this new unit, while more cases will be transferred to lower-level district police directorates.

Sources: Aktuality, The Slovak Spectator, OCCRP, International IDEA (1), International IDEA (2), International IDEA (3), Dennikn, Euractiv, European Commission