The former head of the Prosecutor’s Office in Nitra, identified only as Jozef M., has been charged with corruption for allegedly receiving a bribe of €40,000, Slovak media reported on the weekend of August 23-25.
The Nový Čas daily has obtained audio recordings containing conversations between two people, one of whom has a voice that is strikingly similar to that of the prosecutor. The person is heard saying that he would fabricate charges against four people for alleged tax evasion in exchange for the aforementioned sum. Another recording features the voice of the same person seeking to recover the first recording in return for payment. A preliminary expert opinion indicated that the person heard in the recordings is indeed the prosecutor, but a more thorough analysis is expected to be available shortly. The former head of the prosecutor's office in Nitra was arrested on Thursday, August 22 before being released pending trial on Friday.
The case of the former head of the Nitra Prosecutor’s Office, Jozef M., and his arrest, is unprecedented, the Sme daily wrote on August 24, adding that his arrest is allegedly associated with business tycoon Viliam Mišenka, who has been in custody. Based on existing records, the police suspect that the prosecutor participated in fabricating accusations against Mišenka’s nephew Jozef, also a controversial business tycoon, with whom Viliam Mišenka had disputes. The uncle allegedly sent money to the prosecutor for doing so. However, his former colleagues say the voice from the recordings that are being used in the prosecution is not that of the ex-prosecutor.
It is not known whether police filed charges against the former prosecutor (who was recalled in early 2011 by then general prosecutor Dobroslav Trnka).
(Source: Nový čas, Sme)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
