Prosecutor Blocks Police Inspection Attempt to Access Phones of Officers Linked to Former Anti-Corruption Unit

A Slovak prosecutor has halted an attempt by the Internal Affairs Inspection — the body responsible for investigating misconduct within the Slovak police — to examine the mobile phones of officers associated with the former National Criminal Agency (NAKA) unit loyal to ex-chief Ján Čurilla. The prosecutor rejected the request, ruling it amounted to a fishing expedition for evidence rather than a targeted, legally justified investigation. The application was also found to rely on unverified information, further undermining its legal basis. The move is significant in the context of Slovakia's deeply polarized law enforcement landscape. Since the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico returned to power in 2023, there has been an ongoing effort to dismantle or restructure units and personnel associated with high-profile anti-corruption investigations conducted under the previous administration. Officers linked to Čurilla — a controversial figure who headed key investigative operations — have been at the center of competing legal and institutional pressures, with some facing scrutiny while others allege politically motivated persecution. The Internal Affairs Inspection's failed attempt to access the phones suggests that at least some prosecutorial oversight mechanisms are pushing back against broad or poorly substantiated surveillance requests.