Milan Lasica Letter From 1992 Surfaces Amid Unauthorised Interview Dispute
Hana Lasicová published a 1992 letter written by her late father, Slovak actor and humorist Milan Lasica, in which he firmly rejected threats and alleged extortion attempts by writer and former diplomat Jozef Banáš. Published on Instagram on Friday, October 23, the document escalates an ongoing dispute over an unauthorised interview book compiled by Banáš without the family’s consent, zpravy.tiscali.cz reported.
The Content of the 1992 Letter and Extortion Allegations
In the video shared by Lasicová, the preserved draft of Milan Lasica’s response shows him confronting Banáš over alleged pressure tactics related to Banáš’s departure from a diplomatic posting in Vienna. “What is this supposed to mean? You will not threaten me. You won’t blackmail me either. The fact that you were an StB agent doesn’t bother me, but don’t drag me into it,” Lasica wrote, addressing Banáš by his initial, according to a transcript published by the Slovak server Koktejl.sk and cited by zpravy.tiscali.cz. The letter added, “If you want a scandal, please. At least it will show who Lasica is and who Banáš is…”
Jozef Banáš v '92: „Ak ma neobhájiš, verejne vás znemožním!“ Milan Lasica: „Mne sa vyhrážať nebudeš, nie si na to dostatočný formát.“Zdroj: Insta Hana Lasicová pic.twitter.com/rUpXhJw0d0””
Hana Lasicová stated that her father and Banáš were never friends, asserting that Banáš threatened to publicly discredit the family unless Lasica intervened on his behalf following revelations regarding Banáš’s collaboration with the Communist-era Státní bezpečnosť (StB) secret police. According to zpravy.tiscali.cz, Banáš reportedly wrote in a separate communication, “I did not hide the cooperation with the ŠtB, which, however, I call control.”
Book Release and Family Opposition
The controversy centers on a volume of interviews that Banáš published exclusively as a supplement to the weekly magazine Plus 7 days, bypassing standard bookstores, as noted by Deník N and reported by zpravy.tiscali.cz. Banáš stated in the book’s foreword that he began meeting with Lasica in the spring of 1990 in Vienna—where Lasica’s wife, Magda Vášáryová, was also stationed—and claimed Lasica consented to the recordings.
The family disputes this account. “Anyone who liked my father would never publish unauthorised interviews with him in the tabloid,” Hana Lasicová said, as reported by zpravy.tiscali.cz. Vášáryová intends to halt the distribution of the book legally, comparing the effort to a previous successful block handled via the Slovak publishing house Ikar over a year ago. The dispute also involves Banáš’s daughter, moderator Adela Vinczeová, who is a longtime friend of Hana Lasicová and previously served as a conduit for family warnings regarding the text.
Banash Denies Extortion and Demands Proof
Jozef Banáš rejected the accusations of extortion and questioned the authenticity of the claims in a separate interview with Koktejl.sk, featured in zpravy.tiscali.cz. “It’s all nonsense, of course. If she has evidence of that, then let her show it and publish it,” Banáš said, adding that he hoped the book project would bring him closer to Lasica’s widow.
Banáš’s past association with the StB has previously faced public scrutiny. In January 2005, The Slovak Spectator, referencing the daily WE, reported that Banáš appeared in StB files under the cover names Lotos and Dodo during his tenure as a parliamentarian for the governing SDKÚ party. Banáš acknowledged at the time that he provided reports to the StB but maintained that he never harmed anyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Milan Lasica pass away?
Milan Lasica died in 2021, decades after the initial 1992 correspondence between him and Jozef Banáš took place, zpravy.tiscali.cz reported.
Where was the unauthorised book published?
The interviews were not released through conventional bookstores; instead, Jozef Banáš published them as a special supplement to the weekly magazine Plus 7 days, according to reporting by zpravy.tiscali.cz.
What codenames were linked to Jozef Banáš in StB files?
In January 2005, reports in The Slovak Spectator and WE identified that Banáš was listed in StB files under the cover names Lotos and Dodo, zpravy.tiscali.cz noted.