Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia Peter Kažimír during a press conference on economic and monetary developments – Spring 2025. (source: TASR - Dano Veselský)
A judge on Thursday convicted the country’s central bank governor, Peter Kažimír, of bribery, marking a rare case in the European Union of a sitting senior financial official being found guilty of a criminal offence.
The Specialised Criminal Court imposed a fine of €200,000, warning that Kažimír would face one year in prison if he fails to pay. The verdict is not yet final and can be appealed.
The Thursday ruling follows an earlier attempt to convict Kažimír in April 2023, when Judge Milan Cisarik issued a so-called penal order – a decision made without a full trial, based solely on the case file. At that time, Kažimír was fined €100,000. He contested the ruling, which triggered a full evidentiary hearing. The latest verdict was therefore issued after a complete trial process.
