On Monday, the Specialised Criminal Court sentenced Former Special Prosecutor Dušan Kováčik to 14 years in a minimum-security prison and the confiscation of property. The court found him guilty of arranging the release of former "Takacovci" crime boss Ľubomír Kudlička's from police custody in exchange for a €50,000 bribe, and of leaking information about criminal prosecutions. The former Special Prosecutor was also found guilty of misuse of a public official's powers. Kováčik leaked confidential information to the former Head of the Criminal Office of the Financial Administration, Ľudovít Makó, by informing him that the police suspected him of indirect corruption.
The verdict is not yet final and can be appealed. Kováčik maintained that he was innocent and asked the court in his closing speech to exonerate him. "We vehemently object to the verdict and have already lodged an appeal against it," said Kováčik's lawyer Erik Magál.
Former Prime Minister and head of the opposition Smer-SD party Robert Fico characterised the sentence as a "show-trial". He stated that a criminal complaint needs to be filed against Judge Pamela Záleská for "bending the law". The former PM accused journalists of being responsible for the ruling and "congratulated" them for the "dirty job" they did.
Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár and his 'We Are Family' party do not wish to comment on the verdict, but hope that the decision was made based on the relevant evidence.
The largest governing party, Ordinary People, called the decision an "important beginning for justice" in Slovakia, "even though we're witnessing an extensive backlash from the old system, which is doing everything it can, even with its dying breath, to reverse the start of the rule of law. We hope that this verdict will serve as an important signal of the gradual cleansing of Slovakia from corruption and organised crime," said Ordinary People caucus chair Michal Šípoš, adding that in the past the party had repeatedly drawn attention to many "shady activities of this prosecutor".
"I would advise the calming down of any emotions or enthusiasm. This was only the first-level decision, with which we can be happy due to the fact that our arguments prevailed," said Michal Šúrek, Prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor's Office. "However, what is definitely not the source of any joy for me is the fact that this happened, and that such an official was found guilty of serious crimes, albeit the decision is not yet final," added Šúrek.
Source: TASR
