Slovak Ex-Minister And Fico Confidant Quits Over Epstein Revelations

By Robert Hodgson

(EurActiv) -- The former foreign minister of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák, has resigned after reports into extensive correspondence with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the US Department of Justice.

Prime Minister Robert Fico grudgingly accepted Lajčák’s resignation on Saturday. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so much hypocrisy in criticism that’s coming from all directions,” he said.

A search for the name ‘Lajcak’ in the online Epstein library of released files throws up no less than 346 documents.

In one exchange of phone messages, someone named as ‘Miro Lajcak’ appears to be joshing with an unnamed Epstein: “Regards from Kiev! Just to confirm that girls here are as gorgeous as ever:)”.

The same conversation contains the line “I love Lavrov. Remind Steve about the invitation to come to Slovakia and meet Fico”.

In another apparent email exchange, Lajčák appears to be asking the well-connected financier to help promote an acquaintance’s film in the US, with Epsein apparently forwarding the request to a well-known socialite and publicist, who herself has fallen foul of the released files.

According to the Slovak news agency TASR, Fico characterised the uproar around the revelations as an attack on the prime minister himself.

“Slovakia is losing a source of experience in diplomacy and foreign policy,” Fico was quoted as saying of Lajčák, who was more recently serving as a senior security advisor.

Speaking to the same news agency shortly before his resignation, Lajčák reiterated that he had been entirely unaware of Epstein’s crimes, which he condemned.

There was nothing in the released files to suggest he had been involved in Epstein’s criminality, he said. “I am ready to confirm this claim by any and all means.”

“As a professional diplomat, I am not so naive as to commit any acts that could possibly discredit myself,” TASR quoted him as saying.

Lajčák said his decision to resign was motivated by a desire to shield Fico from “the political costs” of what he considered a deliberate attack.