Slovakia’s Supreme Court has overturned the acquittal of businessman Marian Kocner who was accused of ordering the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova.
Kocner was acquitted in September 2020 due to a supposed lack of evidence. The case was then appealed before the Supreme Court, who ruled that the lower court had failed to consider all evidence and circumstances in the case. This, they said, had led to the issuance of an incorrect decision.
The case will now be referred back to the Special Criminal Court for a retrial.
Kocner stands accused of ordering his associate, Alena Zsuzsova, to arrange the murder of Jan Kuciak. Zsuzsova allegedly asked Zoltan Andrusko who tasked it to Tomas Szabo and Miroslav Marcek. The family of the victims said they had suspected Kocner since day one.
Kuciak, who was just 27 years old when he was gunned down, had been investigating Kocner at the time of his death. He had uncovered millions of euros in suspicious and fraudulent transfers and criminal acts linked to political powers. Kocner had even threatened him via telephone in the past.
Zsuzsova is currently serving a sentence for ordering another murder. Kocner is serving a 19-year term for forgery and fraud.
Reporters Without Borders reacted to the news, calling it a welcome step towards justice that is vital for press freedom in Europe.
#Slovakia: The Supreme Court has overturned Marian Kocner’s acquittal on a charge of ordering journalist #JanKuciak’s murder. @RSF_inter welcomes this step towards truth and justice in a case that is vital for #pressfreedom in Europe. #allforjan pic.twitter.com/MLXMfZ92Hl
— RSF in English (@RSF_en) June 15, 2021
“Slovakia cannot afford another diversion from the question of truth about the murder,” RSF added.
Deputy Director of the International Press Institute Scott Griffen was in the court when the verdict was read. He noted that the families of Kuciak and Kusnirova were relieved at the verdict.
The murders, which took place in February 2018, sent shockwaves through Slovakia. They sparked nationwide protests and the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico and half of his cabinet.
Their deaths came just four months after the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta. No one has been convicted in relation to her murder to date.
