THE BRATISLAVA Regional Court was correct to release Karol Mello, a man accused of a double murder, from police custody, the Supreme Court ruled on October 18. The ruling marks the rejection of an appeal by Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská, the SITA newswire reported.
Žitňanská filed her complaint with the Supreme Court on June 14, seeking to overturn the regional court's decision that led to Mello’s release.
Mello is charged with the 2004 murder of a woman and her child in Most pri Bratislave. He had fled Slovakia but was arrested in Poland last year.
Mello was freed on May 19, 2011, after the regional court ruled that his re-arrest immediately after another court had released him was illegal. The first court ruled that he should be released due to mistakes made in his extradition from Poland.
Mello’s release prompted an outcry in the media and strong criticism by Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic.
After his release, Mello absconded again. He is believed to have fled Slovakia but his current whereabouts are unknown.
