District court in Trenčín orders MP Bartek to apologise to police officers around Čurill
The District Court in Trenčín has ordered MP Michal Bartek of the Voice-SD party to apologise to six police officers and their lawyer. The court rejected a claim for financial compensation of €84,000.
Bartek must publish apology in video form; court rejected financial claims
According to Google News SK — Crime (sk), the District Court in Trenčín ruled on Thursday on a defamation lawsuit filed by six police officers from a group around Ján Čurill together with lawyer Peter Kubina. Judge Andrej Stachovič ordered the Voice-SD MP Michal Bartek to publish an apology in the form of a video, with the exact wording to be determined by the court.
The dispute concerned a video by Bartek from November of last year. In it, the MP responded to a decision by the Bratislava city court concerning compensation for police officers for statements made by interior minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok.
In the video, Bartek suggested that the police officers had arranged the favourable court decision in advance. "Čurill's people and their court lawyer Kubina picked the judge as if from a catalogue. A loyal one, from the progressive camp, so they would know in advance how it would turn out," he stated in the video.
The police officers, together with Kubina, sought not only an apology but also financial satisfaction. Each of the seven plaintiffs demanded €12,000, which together totalled €84,000. The court rejected this part of the lawsuit and did not award compensation.
The court also ruled that neither side is entitled to reimbursement of court costs. The judgment is not yet legally binding — both sides may appeal, with the regional court subsequently deciding on any appeal.
Source: Google News SK — Crime (sk)