Four men charged with extortion as part of an organised group were released from pre-trial custody yesterday because the Žilina region court failed to act in over a year following the laying of charges on November 14, 2001.
It was the second time this year accused criminals have been freed because of the inaction of the courts. The Mello brothers, regarded as the heads of the upper-Hron Valley Mafia, were released earlier this year because of the passivity of the Trnava region court.
Meanwhile, in October seven men charged with the machete killing of a crime boss in east Slovakia’s Košice were released after a judge failed to request the extension of their custody within the period prescribed by law.
Compiled by Tom Nicholson from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
