Former Slovak President AndreJ Kiska was found guilty of tax fraud by the Poprad District Court on Wednesday and received a suspended sentence of two years in jail with three years probation, a fine of €15,000 and a ban on running a business for six years. The decision is not yet final.
"The indicted Andrej Kiska willfully orchestrated and organised a baseless application of a claim to a large-scale VAT return, with an intent to acquire an ill-gained profit," stated the judge. Also sentenced was executive of KTAG firm Eduard K. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], who was handed down a suspended sentence of two years with two years probation, a fine of €10,000 and a ban on running a company for five years and eight months. According to the judge, the defendants attempted to apply an illicit claim to a VAT refund by attempting to put Kiska's 2013-14 presidential campaign on KTAG's books, thus causing the state financial damage of €155,184.
Both defendants denied their guilt. The ex-President sees his trial as a vengeance against him concocted by ex-Prime Minister and Smer-SD chair Robert Fico. According to Kiska, the court refused to hear out an expert and failed to take into account some witness testimonies. "I read sentences in the verdict that are lights years away from the reality of the business environment. I hope that the appellate court will hear out our arguments and make a decision in favour of justice," he stated.
Defence attorney Peter Kubina plans to lodge an appeal against the verdict in its entirety, as he believes that the court failed to understand important circumstances. "We hold that this deed is not a crime and we will attempt to convince the appellate court about it. If this verdict comes into effect, it will set a precedent, as then it would pave a way for criminal prosecution of any entrepreneur who receives any warning from the tax authority about applying the VAT incorrectly," warned Kubina, adding that this is the first case of this kind in the history of Slovakia that has made it to court.
(TASR)
