© Associated Press
– Protests after the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kushnirova were also directed against the head of the specialized prosecutor’s office.
A former Slovak special prosecutor investigating cases of corruption and organized crime has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, the DPA reported.
Dusan Kovacik was arrested in October last year. He took bribes in exchange for helping members of mafia organizations escape prison. The sentence is not final and Kovachik is already appealing.
The case sparked a political debate in the country. The conservative Slovak government welcomed the ruling as part of Slovakia’s cleansing of corruption, but former Prime Minister Robert Fico’s populist left-wing Smer party described the case as politically motivated.
Smer said Kovacic was removed from office with fabricated evidence to be replaced by a ruling candidate. / BTA
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