Damages for Slovak who carried explosives

THE SLOVAK government is expected to pay compensation to Stefan Gonda, the electrician who unwittingly carried explosives on a flight from Poprad-Tatry airport to Dublin after a botched security test in his homeland.

Slovak opposition parties and media have criticised the government fiercely for failing to discipline senior politicians over the incident, and for providing initially confusing and then severely limited information on the case.

Government critics say they have gathered the signatures of enough MPs to demand a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in interior minister Robert Kalinak, who blamed a policeman for forgetting to remove explosives from Mr Gonda’s bag after conducting a test for a sniffer dog at Poprad-Tatry airport, before the departure of the January 2nd Danube Wings flight to Dublin.

The policeman told air-traffic controllers of his mistake, but they allegedly told the pilot the explosives were a fake “dummy” sample which was not dangerous. The officer is also accused of not telling his police superiors of the incident for 48 hours.

Erik Tomas, a spokesman for the Slovak interior ministry, said “the minister is in close contact with the Slovak citizen in order to solve his situation and that includes compensation”, adding that “disciplinary action has been taken against the police officer”.

“An investigation by the civil aviation authority has revealed a possible lapse in communication between pilot and air-traffic controller, who did not give the complete information about the training explosive sample on board to the pilot of the aircraft,” the transport ministry said.

“If the mistake of the air-traffic controller is proved, he will stand down from the service for a certain period, then be retrained and subsequently re-examined.”

The incident has increased pressure on beleaguered transport minister Lubomir Vazny.

Only one official, border guard chief Tibor Mako, has resigned over the Dublin flight debacle.

Opposition leaders say the case has laid bare the government’s incompetence, cronyism and refusal to take responsibility for errors. Cabinet ministers in turn accuse their critics of politicking ahead of June’s general election.

The fiasco has provided a wealth of comedy material for Slovaks and their press.

A daily newspaper printed two “baggage labels” on its front page this week, reading “Danger! Luggage checked by Slovak police” and “Please don’t plant any explosives”.

Numerous jokes are doing the rounds, including: “How many Slovak police does it take to launch a terror attack? Two: one to hide the bomb and another to not find it.” Another imagines a conversation at an airport immigration desk. The officer asks what an arriving passenger has in his luggage, and he says he hasn’t got a clue. “Ah, I see,” the officer replies. “You’re from Slovakia.”