Robert Fico and lawyer Marek Para (source: SITA)
Slovakia’s high-profile legal case involving a lawyer tied to the country’s murky underworld of politics, policing and organised crime has ended in an abrupt turnaround. The Bratislava Regional Prosecutor’s Office has dropped all criminal proceedings against Marek Para, a controversial lawyer and current adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico, according to the Slovak news agency TASR.
Para had faced charges of supporting an organised crime group. In 2022, he was detained and placed in custody over suspicions he helped orchestrate the discrediting of a prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, Vasiľ Špirko. But after a long and turbulent investigation – during which the Constitutional Court ruled his detention unlawful – prosecutors now say there is no case to answer.
The move follows a dramatic collapse of the original case. The prosecution, part of a larger police operation known as Kaifáš, claimed Para was part of a group linked to Norbert Bödör, an oligarch tied to the ruling party Smer and Slovakia’s notorious “Očistec” (Purgatory) corruption scandal. Investigators alleged Para had worked with senior police officers to fabricate a case against Špirko, a prosecutor known for pursuing politically sensitive corruption cases. But two years later, after changes in the investigative team and prosecutorial oversight, the case has unraveled.
The Supreme Court had earlier found serious procedural violations in the original indictment, particularly that Špirko had not been properly questioned as the alleged victim – a fundamental flaw that invalidated key parts of the case. The investigation was sent back. The Special Prosecutor’s Office responsible for the case has since been dismantled under a controversial reform pushed through by Robert Fico’s government, with its files redistributed to regional prosecutors.
The decision to drop the case is politically charged. Para is not just any lawyer: he previously defended Marián Kočner, a convicted fraudster and central figure in the 2018 murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. That killing shook Slovakia and exposed deep links between business, politics and organised crime.
Recent months have seen speculation that Para could be nominated to succeed General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka. The suggestion, floated by Smer MEP Erik Kaliňák, was met with sharp criticism from anti-corruption activists and opposition figures.
Speaking after the announcement, Para called the original allegations “undeniably false” and accused investigators of manipulating evidence. He also pointed the finger at a former investigator, Milan Sabota, who has since been suspended along with other top officers from the now-disbanded National Crime Agency (NAKA). Sabota allegedly reopened an earlier closed case against Para using the same evidence, but with a different legal interpretation – a move Para described as “a logical nonsense”.
The original charges were based largely on the testimony of former senior police officers turned cooperating witnesses, including Bernard Slobodník and Ľudovít Makó. Both described meetings between Para and NAKA leadership where plans were allegedly made to frame Špirko and remove him from high-stakes corruption probes.
Špirko himself has rejected Para’s version of events, accusing the lawyer of spreading misleading claims to protect his reputation.
For now, Marek Para walks free – not just cleared of charges, but possibly on course for higher office.
