Petržalka mayor Ján Hrčka (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Ján Hrčka, the mayor of Petržalka, Bratislava’s largest borough, announced his resignation on Friday following the discovery of a staggering €2.7 million fraud carried out from within his own municipal office.
A payroll department employee had been siphoning off public funds into personal bank accounts for at least two years, undetected by the borough’s internal controls. The embezzlement – one of the largest in recent Slovak local government memory – was uncovered only in May after a series of unusual transactions raised red flags with a local bank.
Hrčka, who had served as mayor since 2018, said he would step down by the end of May. Vice-mayor Iveta Jančoková (SaS) will take over his duties from June 1 until a special election can be held, though the date remains undecided.
“This is a massive failure of internal oversight,” Hrčka said during a press conference. “I am deeply ashamed, and although I can’t undo what’s happened, I take full responsibility.”
How the fraud was uncovered
On May 7, a senior municipal officer informed Hrčka about what was initially believed to be a software-related payroll glitch. The borough had accidentally continued paying salaries to former employees, the official suggested. But the amount involved – initially €200,000 – soon ballooned. It turned out that the bank account details had been changed, and the funds were being redirected not to former staff but to the personal accounts of a current employee.
A bank – ČSOB – flagged the transactions as suspicious, prompting a deeper investigation. The culprit, a payroll clerk, was eventually confronted and confessed after being shown the evidence. “He told us he owed money to powerful people and claimed anyone in his situation would’ve done the same,” Hrčka said.
The man had started the scheme in January 2023, beginning with small amounts and gradually increasing the transfers. By April 2025, he was sending himself hundreds of thousands of euros a month, including a final €220,000 payment just before the fraud was uncovered. Authorities believe he used over 150 bank accounts in eight different banks.
Police have since detained the former employee. Most of the money is believed to be unrecoverable. “He claims the money is gone,” Hrčka said.
The mayor also revealed that another bank had flagged suspicious activity as early as January and shut down dozens of accounts held by the employee in question. However, the bank failed to alert the borough office to the potential fraud. Hrčka called the inaction by state authorities fascinating, noting that agencies responsible for investigating money laundering had apparently taken no steps for months.
“We uncovered the fraud ourselves,” Hrčka said.
A mayor known for thrift undone by a payroll blind spot
Hrčka, a self-styled watchdog of public spending, said he personally reviewed every invoice over €100 during his time in office. Ironically, he admitted that payroll expenditures had escaped his scrutiny – an oversight that ultimately proved costly.
During his tenure, Petržalka, unlike Bratislava, improved its financial health, halving its debt ratio from over 21 percent in 2017 to 9.5 percent in 2022, according to watchdog INEKO. Hrčka championed investments in local infrastructure like swimming pools and pavement repairs while criticising capital projects championed by Bratislava Mayor Matúš Vallo, such as the €5 million renovation of Freedom Square, which he likened to “a luxury holiday when you can’t afford groceries”.
Despite political friction, Vallo expressed regret over the scandal and commended Hrčka’s decision to resign as “unexpected, but appropriate”.
It is not yet clear whether Hrčka will run again in next year’s scheduled local elections. He said he would assist his successor during the transition but offered no comment on his future political ambitions.
For now, Hrčka will remain in office as a member of the Bratislava City Council.
