THE BRATISLAVA Regional Court has sent Slovak actor Dušan Cinkota to jail for eight years, rejecting his appeal against a lower court’s verdict. Cinkota, together with his co-accused, Martin Havran, who received a five year sentence, was found guilty of drug trafficking, the SITA newswire reported on December 5.
During his trial at the Bratislava IV District Court in March, Cinkota, who has a previous criminal conviction for illegal drug possession, claimed that he was cooperating with police as an informant to uncover drug trafficking activities. He added that he was instructed by police to meet Havran, and that his main task was to find “kitchens”, i.e. places where drugs are prepared.
The actor also claimed that when he was arrested by police he was on his way to his police contact to give him drugs bought from Havran, SITA wrote. The police neither confirmed nor denied whether Cinkota had been cooperating with them at the time of his arrest.
Meanwhile, several artists have launched a petition in which they called on President Ivan Gašparovič to pardon Cinkota. The list of signatories includes actors Andrej Hryc and Pavol Topoľský, singer Marián Greksa, deputy chair of the International Press Institute Pavol Múdry, and former journalist Karol Lovaš, SITA wrote.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
