SEVENTEEN years after the robbery of the Nitra branch of the Všeobecná Úverová Banka, dubbed the biggest bank heist in the history of Slovakia, the Nitra Regional Court delivered its ruling on the case, sentencing five of the defendants to prison for five to eight years each. They are also required to pay damages to the bank, the SITA newswire reported on March 11.
The highest sentence, eight years in jail, was given to Bohuš S, one of the bank’s security guards, who made the robbery possible.
The only defendant to be cleared was Viliam Mišenka, who was caught in Venezuela at the beginning of 2013. The court ruled that there was no evidence to prove his guilt in the case. His attorney reacted by saying that his client will “jump four metres high” with joy, SITA wrote.
On January 6, 1996, Sk173 million (approximately €5.7 million) was stolen from the Nitra bank branch.
Lawyers for the defendants asked the court to deliver lower sentences due to the length of the court proceeding, but the court rejected their request, SITA wrote.
The judge presiding over the senate admitted, however, that there were delays and that this was taken into account when deciding over the sentences, which would have been lengthier had the delays not occurred.