The police investigator looking into the charges brought against New Citizens' Alliance (ANO) head Pavol Rusko has filed a motion to the Office of the Special Prosecutor to request parliament to lift the ANO leader's immunity from prosecution.
The prosecutor has two weeks to make a decision about the request, which could result in Rusko facing prosecution for the crime of extortion, the daily SME reports.
Rusko reportedly extorted money from František Mojžiš, tycoon and owner of failed deposit company Drukos, five times between 1998 and 2001. Mojžiš claims that Rusko forced him to buy shares in private radio station Radio Okey for Sk20 million (€476,300), though Mojžiš had not been interested in the deal. According to Mojžiš, part of the money was transferred to a fraudulent Cyprus-based firm, Aeora Trading, reported the daily Pravda.
The police further suspect that Rusko forced the head of Slovakia's power distributor Slovenské Elektrárne (SE), Miroslav Rapšík, to sack directors of its regional branches. Rusko reportedly achieved this through blackmail: he threatened that TV Markiza, which he owned at the time, would broadcast the information that Rapšík's wife had received a Sk100-million (€2.38 million) contract from SE.
Rusko denies all the allegations, calling them "colossal lies".
Compiled by Beata Balogová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
