JOZEF Choluj, a member of the regional board of the ruling Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) in Žilina and the head of the local office for transportation, was caught taking a Sk10,000 (€264) bribe, the SME daily reported.
The police arrested Choluj on November 28, just two days after he was elected as a regional councillor in the November 26 elections. If convicted, he faces three to eight years in jail.
The top SDKÚ board, led by Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda, temporarily suspended Choluj from the party in response to the incident.
According to the police, Choluj demanded the bribe from a local man who wanted to take an exam to operate a local taxi service. The man was requesting a substitute date for the exam.
The SDKÚ cannot withdraw Choluj from the regional parliament but it is likely that it will ask him to resign.
