Fact-free accusations characterise the mundane, the absurd and the deadly serious in Slovakia and its neighbourhood.
A British friend in central Slovakia was recently ordered – on pain of a €300 fine – to attend the local trade registry office and to bring with him evidence of all invoices he had issued and payments he had received under his trade licence, or živnostenský list – broadly speaking, his self-employment registration – over the previous five years.
The problem? He is 79 years old and had cancelled his trade licence more than 10 years earlier.
When he turned up and explained that he had no invoices or income to report, as he was no longer engaged in self-employment – and politely pointed out that the public trade-licence registry shows as much – he was informed that an unidentified person had made a written complaint against him. When he asked the officer what the nature of the complaint was, and on what basis she was investigating it, she refused to say.
In the British conception, an unfounded accusation is hearsay (i.e. gossip), and would normally be disregarded – especially if the complainant is not claiming to have suffered direct harm as a result of the alleged behaviour. Bodies like the police or the tax office can investigate based on tip-offs, but they would seek (or already have) corroborating evidence before interrogating the accused. Public authorities have enough to do without getting involved in personal feuds.
