Most journalists barred from general prosecutor's press conference on acquittal

The resolution raises legitimate doubts, the Special Prosecutor’s Office commented.

Maroš ŽilinkaMaroš Žilinka (Source: TASR)

The General Prosecutor’s Office organised a press conference at 14:00 on September 2, during which General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka explained the steps of his office. Žilinka’s deputy, Jozef Kandera recently acquitted former chair of the Slovak Intelligence Service Vladimír Pčolinský of all charges. Charges against Zoroslav Kollár and Jaroslav Haščák were also dropped.

The General Prosecutor’s Office did not invite all media to the press conference. Denník N wrote that they learnt about it only by coincidence. After arriving on the scene, they were not let in along with journalists from Aktuality and Sme.

Sme reported that only chosen journalists from four television stations were let inside. A list of invited media was not published.

Some politicians, including Juraj Šeliga of Za Ľudí, Kristián Čekovský of OĽaNO and Ondrej Dostál of SaS, criticised the decision to not let every journalist in.

General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka in turn criticised the politicians who spoke out against the office's decision to acquit. He said that the General Prosecutor’s Office was very just and clear in its decisions. He considers the statements of some politicians to be defamatory towards the office.

"I will not be intimidated," Žilinka said, adding that nails were being thrown in front of his home over the weekend.

I am not anyone’s vassal, Žilinka claims

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

News digest: Slovakia marks anniversary of one of its biggest accidents in water transport

People are obliged to show Covid passes, the Bratislava's Old Town promotes its most beautiful trees and construction of the traditional ice house in the High Tatras has started.


4 h
Opening of the time capsule of Michael's Tower.

Time capsule stored in Bratislava's St Michael statue 176 years ago reveals its secrets

The public can see the items found in the box in the Bratislava City Museum at the Old Town Hall this weekend.


7 h
About 100 to 110 Tatra chamois live in the NAPANT national park, central Slovakia, but only two are white.

New Low Tatras attraction fascinates and worries hikers

Two white chamois have been observed in the national park, but their colour exposes them to danger.


21. okt
Skryť Close ad