The defendant Zoroslav Kollár arrives at a court hearing at the Specialised Criminal Court (ŠTS) in Pezinok on February 10, 2025. (source: TASR - Martin Baumann)
This year marks five years since Slovakia’s judiciary was rocked by the sweeping investigations known as Operation Búrka (Storm) and Operation Víchrica (Gale). These high-profile crackdowns exposed allegations of widespread corruption in the justice system. Yet, it is only now that the first verdict has been delivered in connection with these scandals.
The sprawling investigation into judicial corruption was triggered by testimony from a key witness, former judge Vladimír Sklenka. However, even after Monday’s verdict, which involved high-profile lawyer-turned-YouTuber Zoroslav Kollár, former Bratislava judge Richard Molnár, and lawyer Tomáš Kulák, doubts remain over Sklenka’s credibility in court.
The Specialised Criminal Court found only Molnár guilty on one out of 10 charges related to judicial bribery. He received a suspended two-year prison sentence and was fined €20,000. If he fails to pay, he faces an additional 20 months behind bars. Meanwhile, the court acquitted Kollár and Kulák.
“The witness Vladimír Sklenka’s testimony was the sole piece of evidence in most of the charges and was not corroborated by other direct or indirect proof,” explained Judge Miroslav Mazúch in his ruling. The court acknowledged that this did not necessarily mean Sklenka’s statements were false but ruled that his credibility as a witness remained uncertain.
