The police officer in Veľká Mača at the site of Kuciak and Kušnírová's murder. (source: TASR)
Why was the head of the anti-corruption unit of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) among the first people to arrive in Veľká Mača, where investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová were killed, even though he is not responsible for the murders?
This is the question posed by the opposition. Explanations as to why Róbert Krajmer, head of NAKA’s anti-corruption unit, was there differ, with both Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák and Police Corps President Tibor Gašpar offering different explanations.
Meanwhile, Krajmer submitted a criminal complaint against Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) MP, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, and chair of the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) movement, Igor Matovič, for libel.
Opposition questions Kramer’s presence
The Trend weekly was the first to report that Krajmer was among the first people to visit the crime scene in Veľká Mača (Trnava Region), even though his department is not dealing with the murders.
In one of the stories Kuciak wrote last year, he described the indirect connection between Krajmer and oligarch Norbert Bödör, who is linked to Smer via the former’s wife, the Sme daily reported. Norbert Bödör is son of Miroslav Bödör, the owner of security company Bonul, which has received several state orders under Smer’s governments.
Matovič told the journalists that Kuciak could have been eavesdropped on. There is no other explanation for the fact that Krajmer knew about the journalist’s investigation into Italian mafia, he added.
Even before Matovič, Ďuriš Nicholsonová confronted Kaliňák at the political talk show, O 5 Minút 12 (Five Minutes to Twelve), asking him whether Krajmer came to cover up the traces. Kaliňák has denied it.
“You’re offending people who unlike you have done something for the country,” Kaliňák said, as quoted by the Aktuality.sk website, adding that Krajmer has been investigating the frauds of Italian entrepreneurs in the east and even submitted a proposal for laying charges.
Police: Krajmer did not enter the house
Gašpar said on March 5 that Krajmer was neither in the house nor in the yard. He also denied claims about eavesdropping, Sme wrote.
One day later, the police issued a statement, correcting his words. According to them, Krajmer was fulfilling the tasks linked to the investigation of this crime.
“The Police Corps president did not have detailed information about the movement of NAKA’s anti-corruption unit’s head at the time of his statement and used the photo taken at a crime scene which was published in the media,” the police informed, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Krajmer arrived at the crime scene about 10 hours after the bodies were found, together with NAKA head, Peter Hraško.
“We see no reason for informing about the presence and moves of NAKA’s representatives at a crime scene,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, Krajmer submitted a criminal complaint against Ďuriš Nicholsonová and Matovič for libel.
