The head of the Slovak government, Robert Fico, has not appeared in public since his December trip to Moscow, but in the meantime he has published several entries on the Internet. Journalists are determining where he is currently staying. Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi wrote that the trail leads to a luxury suite at the five-star Capella Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam. The same location was also reported by the Slovak portal “Dennik N”.
The head of the Slovak government met with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on December 22. They discussed, among other things, Russian gas supplies, war in Ukraine and on the normalization of Slovak-Russian relations. This was the last time Fico was seen in public. Slovak media reported on Friday that it has been unknown where the Prime Minister is for two weeks.
Robert Fico met with Vladimir Putin in MoscowPAP/EPA/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN / POOL
Robert Fico on recordings
However, the head of the Slovak government published two recordings on the Internet with comments regarding the suspension Ukraine transit of Russian gas.
“President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky began to sabotage Slovakia's public finances and destroy the financial interests of the entire European Union. Slovakia must show that it is a sovereign country,” he wrote in a comment to a short recording he posted on Facebook on January 2.
He previously posted a similar recording on December 27.
The trail leads to Vietnam
The latest recording was followed by Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi. On the X platform, he shared a recording which – as he described – allows him to determine the location where the Slovak Prime Minister recorded his latest comment. Panyi wrote that the trail leads to a luxurious suite at the five-star Capella Hotel in Hanoi Vietnamwhere the day is EUR 5,740 per night. “For context, his (Fico's) monthly salary is 11,200 euros,” Panyi said.
The Slovak portal “Dennik N” also wrote that one of its readers recognized that one of the recordings shared by the Slovak politician came from this hotel.
Journalists from the “Dennik N” newspaper website contacted the hotel and asked to be connected to an apartment that could be rented by Fico. The call was transferred, but no one answered the phone. The receptionist explained that the person was probably not in the room.
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Head of the strongest opposition party, Progressive Slovakia (PS) Michal Szimeczka wrote that his party will make sure that every Fico voter suffering from high prices and disappointed finds out how much the prime minister's alleged stay in a hotel in Hanoi cost.
Another PS politician, former head of diplomacy and former candidate for the president of Slovakia, Ivan Korczok, said on social media that the situation is unprecedented and the prime minister is not a private person, even on vacation.
The president knows, but he won't say
The press service of Slovak President Petro Pellegrini told the Sme daily that “the president was informed about the length of the leave and the prime minister's place of stay.” However, the newspaper emphasizes that Pellegrini does not disclose this information.
Main photo source: Reuters