Clearance case Očistec before court: Gašpar, Bödör and others accused of organised crime
The Očistec case comes before court on Monday. The prosecution describes a police mafia that, in exchange for bribes, covered for VAT fraudsters and people close to Ladislav Bašternák.
Police mafia before court: Očistec case enters main proceedings
The Očistec case finally comes before court on Monday. According to Aktuality, the prosecution describes an organised criminal group that was said to include Tibor Gašpar, Norbert Bödör, Róbert Krajmer, Peter Hraško, Dušan Kováčik, Ľudovít Makó, František Imrecze, Bernard Slobodník and others.
Businessmen involved in VAT fraud schemes allegedly paid police officers to allow them to continue working without interference. The police also halted an operation targeted at individuals close to Ladislav Bašternák. According to prosecutors, the highest item on the police price list was turning a blind eye to the most lucrative tax criminal activity.
The prosecution sets out in detail who accepted what bribes, how those involved divided them among themselves, and what the police subsequently did or failed to do. Some of the defendants have admitted to accepting bribes and returned part of the funds.
According to prosecutors, the group's methods resemble practices from the 1990s, when police officers extorted businessmen in exchange for protection from criminal prosecution.
Source: Aktuality