Marian Kočner (source: SME)
Newsrooms in Slovakia have received an anonymous e-mail, which describes how controversial businessman Marián Kočner tried to influence courts and politicians, the Sme daily reported.
Kočner, who has been imprisoned since the summer, has been reportedly sending out instruction letters through his lawyer Andrej Šabík to Peter Tóth, former agent of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) intelligence agency, who is also Kočner’s friend, according to an anonymous e-mail received by Sme.
The businessman is charged with forgery of promissory notes worth €69 million issued for private broadcaster TV Markíza.
The Specialised Criminal Court is expected to decide on December 20 if Kočner, who is allegedly trying to influence the investigation, will end up in prison with much stricter rules, Sme wrote.
Did the police hide instruction notes?
The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) concealed a note from prosecutor Ján Šanta, who supervises Kočner’s case, the anonymous email claimed.
The police have confirmed that the instruction letters exist, but refused the claim that they have been hiding them.
“We reject any concealment of evidence, all notes have been handed over,” said Denisa Baloghová, police corps spokesperson, as quoted by Sme.
For instance, Kočner requested MP Robert Kaliňák (Smer) influence Interior Minister Denisa Saková (Smer) in one of the notes in order to bring the investigation to a dead end.
Kaliňák and Saková have rejected the claims, as reported by Sme.
Prosecutor Šanta knows about the instruction notes as the recording, made during the session of the Specialised Criminal Court on December 17, reveals. It is not known who recorded Šanta talking to the TV Markíza reporter about the notes, though.
What Kočner asks for in instruction letters
Lawyer Šabík appears in several scandals linked to Kočner. His company VertiCom was involved in a dubious transfer of the property of the Technopol Servis company worth €20 million elsewhere. Besides, he is Kočner’s lawyer in the case of the fake promissory notes, Sme wrote.
In the letters, which Kočner sent to Tóth via Šabík, the businessman asked Tóth to get in touch with fellow businessman Norbert Bödör. He was allegedly expected to help Kočner get out of prison through Special Prosecutor Dušan Kováčik, Sme reported.
Kočner asked Tóth to contact a person identified as R.F., which may mean Smer chair Robert Fico. The anonymous email has claimed that Fico was expected to find out why “his man”, who was deciding on Kočner’s detention, failed at the Constitutional Court. This man is allegedly former Smer member and judge Mojmír Mamojka.
Prosecutor Šanta proposed a stricter custody for Kočner in the case of promissory notes due to evidence that allegedly confirms Kočner is trying to thwart the investigation.
