Slovak Government Accused of Bribing Villages That Agreed to Host Controversial Power Plant

Two Slovak villages that consented to host a planned pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant have received large cash grants from a state company, prompting accusations of voter bribery ahead of local elections. The villages of Látky and Málinec, where the Málinec power plant is planned, each received €166,000 from Vodohospodárska výstavba, a state water infrastructure company that falls under the Environment Ministry, headed by minister Tomáš Taraba. Taraba, a politician from the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS), which is part of the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, said the funds were intended for sewage systems and other local infrastructure. However, critics point to vague contract language that does not clearly specify how the money must be spent, raising suspicions that the payments are designed to secure political goodwill rather than meet genuine public needs. Local residents and political opponents have gone further, calling the grants outright corruption. The Málinec pumped-storage power plant is a major and contested energy project that would use two reservoirs at different elevations to store and generate electricity. Communities in the area have been divided over the development, making the timing and targeting of the state grants particularly sensitive. The lack of transparency in the contracts and the proximity to elections have intensified calls for an independent investigation into whether the payments constitute an improper use of public funds to influence community consent.