Supreme court halts prosecution of Slota, prosecutor sought four-year sentence
A panel of the Supreme Court has halted criminal prosecution of ex-politician Ján Slota. The prosecutor had originally sought a four-year custodial sentence.
Supreme court halts prosecution of Slota, prosecutor sought four-year sentence
Former politician and ex-leader of the nationalists Ján Slota has had his criminal prosecution terminated. A panel of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic decided on Tuesday to end his case, despite the prosecutor having sought a four-year custodial sentence.
The prosecution concerned alleged acceptance of a bribe as a joint perpetrator. The indictment alleged that in 2018 Slota was to arrange a change of an unconditional sentence to a conditional one in appeal proceedings at the Regional Court in Žilina. This was said to involve influence over judge Pavol Polka.
The National Criminal Agency charged Slota in March 2022. The Specialised Criminal Court initially released him, but the Supreme Court later ordered him to wear an electronic tag. The ex-politician has denied guilt from the outset.
A court in Banská Bystrica found him guilty of indirect corruption in the first instance and imposed a two-year sentence with a four-year deferral period. However, the Supreme Court quashed this verdict and returned the case for fresh proceedings.
In the second round, the panel changed the legal classification – the conduct was reclassified from acceptance of a bribe to bribery. In light of the lower sentencing range, it found that both acts were time-barred.
Slota did not appear at the hearing, excusing his absence through his defence counsel. The prosecutor described the ruling as binding, but disagreed with the outcome. Within three days of service, the ex-politician may declare that he insists on a hearing, which would resume proceedings.
(Source: Aktuality.sk)
Source: Aktuality