On Wednesday morning, several media outlets in Slovakia received an email containing a link to a 39-hour-long recording that relates to the "Gorilla" case, the political corruption scandal named after a Slovak Secret Service wiretap file. The first transcript of the Gorilla recording was in December 2011. The contents stirred up a wave of protests and criticism of the people and the financial group mentioned in the materials. The law-enforcement authorities stated in the past that the evidence did not allow investigators to press charges against a specific person(s) despite its extent.
Financial group Penta co-owner Jaroslav Haščák's voice is allegedly among those captured on the recording. Recordings capture Haščák talking to several politicians regarding commissions from state-related business in 2005 and 2006. The recording was allegedly made at a flat on the Vazovova Street in Bratislava. Penta has already stated that it will take legal action regarding this case.
"Any recordings of this kind, irrespective of their origin, are illegal material and can't be published and used. The way in which the Slovak media received the alleged recordings bears the obvious hallmarks of criminal activities, and that's why we're filing a criminal complaint," reads Penta's statement. According to the group, the recordings that have been published recently are most likely manipulated and thus lack credibility.
The police in 2018 found the Gorilla recording in the house of the currently detained entrepreneur Marian Kočner. Former head of the Gorilla investigation team Lukáš Kyselica confirmed its authenticity in media interviews
