THE GENERAL Prosecutor’s Office (GPO) will review the case of Peter Végh, who was allegedly sentenced to 16 months in prison for a theft that he did not commit.
“Deputy General Prosecutor for Criminal Department, Peter Šufliarsky, issued an order to review the criminal case of Peter V.,” said GPO spokesperson Andrea Predajňová, as quoted by the SITA newswire, adding that after scrutinising the case they will decide on further steps.
The story was broken by private broadcaster TV Markíza on September 21. It reported that Végh served his sentence in the prison in Leopoldov, even though he was innocent. Nobody believed his story, according to the report.
The case started in December 2010 when a young man attempted to rob a newsstand in Bratislava, but police officers caught him at the scene, according to TV Markíza. The man, without any personal documents, claimed his name was Peter Végh and police officers believed him. They accused him and the court sent the man to prison for 16 months.
The broadcaster reported that the man who attempted to rob the stall was in fact Végh’s brother Martin, which has been reportedly proved by fingerprints. The broadcaster also sent the comparison of the fingerprints of the two brothers to the police, the prosecutor’s office and the court. Moreover, the broadcast received a confession from Martin Végh, who apologised and said it should be him sitting behind bars, and not his brother.
Meanwhile, Ľubomír Galko of Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) said he will submit a motion to the parliamentary committee for defence and security to invite Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák and Police Corps President Tibor Gašpar to explain the case. Also, the Interior Ministry said it is dealing with the case, SITA reported.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
