THE BRATISLAVA Regional Court has sent Slovak actor Dušan Cinkota to jail for eight years after it rejected his appeal against the verdict of a lower court. Cinkota, together with another accused in the case, Martin Havran, who received a five year sentence, was found guilty of drug trafficking, the SITA newswire reported on December 5.
During the original trial at the Bratislava IV District Court in March, Cinkota, who had already been arrested for drug possession, claimed that he was cooperating with police as an informant to uncover drug trafficking activities. He added that he was instructed by police to meet with Havran, and that his main task was to find “kitchens”, i.e. places where drugs are prepared.
The actor also explained that when he was arrested by police, he was on his way to his police contact to give him drugs bought from Havran, SITA wrote. Police have neither confirmed nor denied Cinkota’s story.
Meanwhile, several artists have launched a petition in which they called on President Ivan Gašparovič to pardon Cinkota. The list of signatories includes actors Andrej Hryc and Pavol Topoľský, singer Marián Greksa, deputy chair of the International Press Institute Pavol Múdry, and former journalist Karol Lovaš, SITA wrote.
