The former mayor of the Bratislava borough of Rača, Pavol Bielik, was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday, February 24.
The TASR newswire wrote that Bielik, a former senior member of the Christian-Democrat Movement (KDH) in Bratislava Region, was found guilty by the Special Court in Pezinok (Bratislava region) of soliciting a Sk5-million (€142,000) bribe from Pavol Kollár in October 2003 in exchange for helping a company called “Invest In”. The bribe was meant to facilitate planning permission for five new buildings in Rača, but Kollár instead contacted the police.
On Tuesday, the Court also decided to ban Bielik from working as a public servant for seven years and impose a fine of €16,597 (Sk500,000). If Bielik does not pay the fine, he could face an extra year in prison.
Bielik and his accomplice Jaroslav S., who was sentenced to 4.5 years imprisonment, appealed against the court’s ruling, which is therefore suspended. The case will now move to Slovak Supreme Court. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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