Slovak Culture Minister dismisses two Art Fund board members

Slovak Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová has dismissed two members of the Art Fund (FPU) board, Peter Grutka and Adriana Tomičová, just days before the fund is scheduled to elect a new director on September 8.

The dismissed members claim their removal is a direct consequence of their refusal to support František Kornaj, the current acting head of the FPU and one of the candidates for the permanent director position. They also cited concerns regarding alleged surveillance of FPU employees as a reason for their opposition to Kornaj.

Minister Šimkovičová has denied any connection between the dismissals and the upcoming election. She stated that the removal of Grutka and Tomičová had been a long-standing demand from the opposition and certain coalition MPs, intended to stabilize the fund. The Ministry emphasized that the board must make decisions independently and that the dismissals were not intended to influence the election results.