Slovakia’s former Minister of Defence Jaroslav Naď—now leader of the extra-parliamentary Demokrati party and a prominent critic of the ruling coalition—has become the central figure in a high-stakes corruption investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), which is probing alleged financial misconduct linked to the country’s wartime donation of ammunition to Ukraine. The attempted police detention of Naď in June 2025, launched while he was on a publicly declared trip to Canada, coincided with the arrest of other former senior defence officials and has triggered accusations of political targeting by the administration of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Although the government denies any involvement, citing a 2023 audit by Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office, the credibility of domestic legal proceedings has been widely questioned due to the governing coalition’s sustained attacks on judicial independence and its stated ambition to prosecute former officials. The presence of EPPO—a European Union body responsible for safeguarding the bloc’s financial interests—has lent rare institutional legitimacy to an investigation that, in the Slovak context, might otherwise be dismissed as partisan retaliation. At issue is a 2022 procurement of decommissioned munitions, initially sold at a low price to a private entity and later repurchased by the Ministry of Defence at a significantly higher cost before being donated to Ukraine, a process EPPO alleges may have breached public finance rules and procurement law. The unfolding case, now a focal point of both legal scrutiny and political polarisation, highlights growing concerns over the weaponisation of state institutions in Slovakia and underscores the increasingly pivotal role of EU oversight in upholding democratic accountability within member states.
In early June 2025, the Slovak police attempted to detain Jaroslav Naď, former Minister of Defence and current leader of the extra-parliamentary Demokrati party, in connection with the donation of military ammunition to Ukraine during his ministerial tenure. The operation took place while Naď was on a publicly announced trip to Canada, and its timing and visibility prompted immediate political controversy. Although Slovak authorities did not succeed in detaining him, they arrested several other former defence officials, including the former head of the state-owned arms producer Konštrukta Defence.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office Makes the Case against Jaroslav Naď Difficult to Dismiss
The police action forms part of a broader investigation conducted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), an independent European Union institution tasked with prosecuting crimes against the EU’s financial interests. In this case, EPPO is examining potential misuse of EU funds allocated for Ukraine-related military aid, with the total damage estimated at €7.4 million. According to the office’s official statement, Slovak Ministry of Defence officials allegedly submitted reimbursement requests under the European Peace Facility—a fund intended to finance member states’ military support to Ukraine—for ammunition acquired in a manner that may have violated both Slovak public finance law and EU procurement rules.
Central to the investigation is a 2022 transaction during the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, the Slovak Ministry of Defence purchased decommissioned 120mm and 152mm ammunition, originally sold at residual value to a private company, through the state-owned firm Konštrukta Defence. The ministry subsequently donated this ammunition to Ukraine. However, the ammunition—meant for weapon systems no longer in use by the Slovak Armed Forces—was reportedly repurchased from the private sector at a significantly higher price. EPPO has raised concerns that the procurement process may have been manipulated, leading to suspicions of deliberate budgetary misconduct.
Missing Documents, Inflated Prices, and Bypassed Rules
Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office previously labelled the procedure as “procedurally irregular,” citing the lack of technical assessments, safety evaluations, and appropriate procurement documentation. It concluded that the transactions violated fiscal discipline and failed to meet the standards of public fund efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency. The audit further noted that some of the ammunition had never entered official military storage, potentially breaching contractual obligations.
The investigation has triggered sharp political responses. Members of the Demokrati party claim the detention attempt against their party leader is politically motivated. Juraj Šeliga, a senior figure in the party, described the police action as an “absolute scandal” and alleged it aimed to intimidate opposition figures. He questioned the necessity of a detention attempt when Naď’s travel plans were publicly available and suggested that political objectives, rather than legal necessity, were driving the case.
Jaroslav Naď himself issued a public statement from Canada, describing the police operation as political theatre designed to deflect from government failings and undermine his party. He also stated that a previous criminal complaint filed against him on the same matter had already been dismissed. According to Naď, the renewed investigation lacks a new legal basis and may simply be reanimated under new prosecutorial leadership.
The country’s Minister of the Interior, Matúš Šutaj Eštok of the Hlas party, denied that the police operation was politically motivated, asserting that it falls under the jurisdiction of the European Public Prosecutor. Slovakia’s current Minister of Defence, Robert Kaliňák of the Smer party, attributed the investigation to findings of the Supreme Audit Office and stressed that EPPO’s involvement signalled a legal process beyond national political influence. However, he also confirmed that he had no direct communication with the European prosecution office regarding the case.
Throughout the initial phase of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Slovakia—then governed by a coalition led by Prime Minister Eduard Heger—supplied military equipment and munitions to Ukraine. These decisions, including the transactions now under scrutiny, were framed by former officials as necessary, lawful, and consistent with both Slovak security interests and EU-wide support for Ukraine’s defence. According to defence attorneys involved in the case, some of the detained individuals were released without charge, and legal representatives have maintained that no criminal activity occurred.
Meanwhile, Slovakia’s governing parties, particularly the Smer party led by the current prime minister and its coalition partners, have long criticised the previous administration’s military aid policies. As opposition parties during the war’s outset, they claimed the aid depleted Slovakia’s defence capacity and caused financial harm to the state. These critiques have since evolved into demands for criminal accountability, aligning with broader political narratives that seek to prosecute members of the former government.
Fico’s Slovakia Needs European Legal Supervision
While the European Public Prosecutor’s Office continues its independent investigation, concerns persist that the domestic political environment in Slovakia—marked by increasing pressure on judicial independence and public oversight mechanisms—may be influencing the way legal actions are perceived and implemented. Without EPPO’s oversight, some critics argue, the credibility and impartiality of such investigations could be called into question. As it stands, the inquiry into Jaroslav Naď’s conduct reflects not only a test of legal accountability for wartime decisions but also of institutional resilience in a political landscape fraught with tension.
Authors: Vladimír Šnídl | Miro Kern | Source: Denník N