Bratislava, Nov. 9, (dpa/GNA) – A special court on Sunday ordered former Slovak police chief Tibor Gaspar be remanded in custody in connection with the 2018 murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee.
The former heads of several other state police departments were also remanded in custody due to fears they may attempt to intimidate witnesses.
No further details of the allegations against the ex-police officers were given by prosecutors or the court. However media reports following Kuciak’s killing have repeatedly accused the men of responsibility for allowing corruption to flourish within the police force.
Allegations include that the police informed influential businessmen about corruption investigations into them.
The millionaire businessman Marian Kocner, who is accused of having ordered Kuciak’s murder, is said to have had police follow journalists investigating him with the knowledge of their superiors.
Kocner was acquitted of Kuciak’s murder in September due to lack of evidence, but prosecutors have appealed the verdict.
Hs is also said to have systematically bribed and blackmailed judges and prosecutors in order to get acquittals in numerous fraud cases against him.
Thirteen judges were arrested in March, including the former state secretary for justice, Monika Jankovska. She is said to have manipulated court proceedings on behalf of Kocner.
GNA