The former owner of private TV Markíza Pavol Rusko and businessman Marian Kočner both faced each other in court, on December 16, for the first time since a trial in the case of the promissory notes began.
They both stand accused in this case of TV Markíza promissory notes worth millions of euros. Apart from that, each of them respectively faces charges in other cases as well.
Related articleA mysterious witness confirms the existence of 5th promissory note Read more Rusko left the court an hour after his arrival for spinal pain while the senate approved, later on, the reading of an agreement of 20 pages on forming a joint international investigation team to look into the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. Kočner is charged with the ordering of the murder.
“This is just a way to obstruct the trial,” prosecutor Ján Šanta said, as quoted by the Sme daily.
The trial has been running for 18 days now, but no witnesses were heard in the last session; only documentary evidence was read.
Kočner's phones
Kočner said the agreement, involving Europol, proves Europol was not supposed to examine his phone; this would question the Threema transcriptions as legal evidence.
Europol analysed two phones of Kočner's and managed to decipher his Threema communication, but Kočner claimed Europol did not have the right to do so given the agreement. The texts showed how Kočner texted judges and influenced their decision-making in the cases involving his firms.
Related articleTycoon Milan Fiľo did not know about the promissory notes Read more He also said the investigation team was set up, based on the agreement, to look only into suspicions of the Italian mafia being linked to the murder.
Foreign handwriting expert to be heard
Besides, the senate allowed, on December 16, for Kočner’s lawyer Michal Mandzák to hear another witness, handwriting expert Geraldo La Porte, in January 2020.
Several experts' testimonies were already read aloud on day 17 of this case, confirming the four promissory notes were not signed in 2000, on December 4.
La Porte is the only one who had not excluded the possibility that the promissory notes were indeed signed in 2000, as claimed by Rusko and Kočner.
The case will continue on December 17. Upon leaving the court, Rusko hinted to journalists that he might not be attending.
16. Dec 2019 at 22:59 | Compiled by Spectator staff
