In an interview with the Slovakian newspaper DennikN, former ambassador Stanislav Vallo denies that he did not do everything he could to force our country to investigate the death of Jozef Chovanec. He also asked Chovanec’s widow to bring the matter to the media.
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According to former Slovak ambassador Stanislav Vallo, his consulate has put pressure on the Belgian state from the outset to investigate the death of Jozef Chovanec. He says this in an extensive interview with the Slovakian newspaper DennikN.
Vallo, who knew Jozef Chovanec personally because his company carried out masonry work for the embassy, assisted Chovanec’s family when they were still in a coma. “As soon as we saw him lying there on that hospital bed, we knew something strange had happened. His family already knew he must have banged his head against the wall of his cell. ” When the Slovak died on Monday, an oral note was immediately sent to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informing it of the tragic death of Chovanec.
It was also explicitly requested to conduct an investigation into the suspicious circumstances in which the man had died. Vallo is said to have visited the ministry several times to inquire about the progress of the investigation.
A real conversation with Jambon
Afterwards, a meeting would also take place with then Minister of the Interior Jan Jambon (N-VA), who he expected would know more about the case. Remarkable: a few weeks ago, Vallo stated that he could not remember the exact circumstances. In DennikN, however, he explains that it was a short conversation and that he often spoke himself. In it, Vallo talked about the last days he spent on his deathbed with Chovanec’s family and emphasized the confidence that the Belgian authorities would take their responsibility to investigate the matter as soon as possible. Before that interview, Vallo said he also had a meeting with Jambon’s political advisor. He had Chovanec’s file on his desk, but turned out to be uninterested in the whole matter, the former ambassador explains.
Pleasantly surprised by outrage
According to Vallo, everyone assured him that he would always thoroughly work on the investigation, but according to him, the matter never progressed. Vallo was also never informed that there was video footage of the incident and, according to him, Slovak authorities were not kept informed of the ongoing investigation. Ms. Chovanec initially refused to take the story to the media, allegedly because her Belgian lawyer advised her against doing so. Vallo, for his part, advised her to do so. Two weeks ago the bomb finally burst. “I have to say that I am very pleasantly surprised by the degree of public outrage.”
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