The National Crime Agency (NAKA) has arrested a German national described only as Štefan S., who attempted to steal a record-breaking €1 billion from the accounts of a bank in Bratislava, Police Corps spokesperson Andrea Dobiášová told the TASR newswire on Monday, May 20. If the German had succeeded, it would have been the biggest theft in Slovakia over the past decade, she said.
Štefan S. acted as a representative of two companies registered in Slovakia. According to the Slovak police, he attempted to deceive employees of a bank in Bratislava, and insisted that they transfer €1 billion to his account, as this amount had allegedly been sent to his account from a foreign bank. He presented a forged SWIFT transaction report as proof that the transfer was carried out, and a falsified letter from the Slovak central bank (NBS), which confirmed that the operation did not present any risks. Thanks to the bank’s cooperation with the NAKA, the German was detained while still in the bank, and the Specialised Criminal Court placed him in custody. If convicted, he may spend up to 15 years in prison, said Dobiášová.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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