Gang boss sentenced to 16 years

THE SUPREME Court has sentenced Piťovci gang head, Juraj Ondrejčák, to 16 years in prison for leading the criminal group. The gang, according to the Specialised Criminal Court, was involved in drug trafficking and collecting protection money and operated out of Bratislava’s Lamač district.

THE SUPREME Court has sentenced Piťovci gang head, Juraj Ondrejčák, to 16 years in prison for leading the criminal group. The gang, according to the Specialised Criminal Court, was involved in drug trafficking and collecting protection money and operated out of Bratislava’s Lamač district.

Ondrejčák was, together with other members of the gang, detained on November 2011 during the biggest police action in the history of Slovakia. The proceeding started in August 2013 with the reading of a 28-page lawsuit. Together 18 men were charged with 19 crimes.

On November 26, the Supreme Court basically approved the ruling of the Specialised Criminal Court from May which confirmed the existence of the criminal group, according to the head of the court’s senate Libor Duľa, the Sme daily reported.

“The first level court [Specialised Criminal Court] considered the existence of the criminal group as proved,” Duľa said, as quoted by the Sme daily. “The appealing court did not question its opinion.”

The Supreme Court did however decrease Ondrejčák’s punishment by two years. It also decreased punishments for most of the other members of the group. The verdicts are valid and it is not possible to appeal them, the Sme reported.

Group member Igor Dvorský will spend 22 years in prison, Adam Štefunko, who was active in Trnava and Hlohovec, received 22 years as well. Miroslav Abrahám, who was found responsible for drug trafficking, will spend 21 years in prison, as will subordinate Matej Baričiak, the TASR newswire reported.

Ondrejčák’s right-hand man Matej Šalaga will spend seven years in a minimum security prison, Ladislav Antal and Tomáš Králik will spend three-and-half and four-and-a-half years in prison, respectively. Martin Padúch, was sentenced to 10.5 years. Peter Bolla will spend seven years in minimum security prison, down from the originally proposed eight years.

Andrej Očenáš will spend five years in prison, Miroslav Cisár will be behind the bars for 32 months, while Antonín Topercer, was punished by a one year prison sentence and conditional deferral at three years, according to TASR.

Tomáš Bielovič is the only one whose sentence was increased from five-and-a-half years to six, on charges of supporting a criminal group and drug activities.

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