Slovak Judges Who Aided Interior Minister Have History of Controversial Rulings

The Slovak judges who issued a ruling favorable to Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok are not making such a decision for the first time, raising fresh questions about judicial impartiality in politically sensitive cases. The judges involved have previously issued other notable rulings that drew scrutiny, suggesting a pattern that critics argue warrants closer examination. Šutaj Eštok, a senior figure in Slovakia's ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer-SD party, has been at the center of political controversy, and any court decisions seen as protecting him from legal or political consequences draw intense public attention. In separate developments, two other individuals identified as Mažgút and Rybanský are reported to be successfully navigating a process of political or institutional transformation, while Ľuboš Blaho — a prominent pro-Kremlin politician and member of the ruling coalition — has finally been removed from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the country's leading state research institution, a move that had been sought by critics for some time.