Inquiry into sale of C02 credits to begin

An inquiry into the Slovakian government''s sale of carbon dioxide emissions is to be launched by the opposition political parties.

The coalition, led by the SDKU party, is to investigate the government''s business deal with the US firm Interblue Group, Reuters reported.

Conflicting information surrounding the transaction has come from the government and prime minister Robert Fico.

Mr Fico initially stated that Slovakia had sold ten million tonnes of carbon credits for €60 million (£51.9 million) although he later claimed the deal was worth up to €76 million.

Information from the Slovak National Emission Registry showed that the state sold 15.5 million carbon dioxide permits during 2008.

Under the terms of the Kyoto emission trading schemes, nations which are well below their greenhouse gas targets can sell any excess quotas to countries that are emitting more than they should.

The deal has already caused controversy following the recent removal of environment minister Jan Chrbet from the Slovakian government''s cabinet.

Mr Chrbet refused to provide any information relating to a business transaction surrounding the sale of carbon dioxide emission quotas.