Dobroslav Trnka was Slovakia's General Prosecutor between 2004 and 2011 and many ordinary Slovaks would have even forgotten about him had not secret video recordings of him dealing with crooked businessman Marián Kočner surfaced last year. Investigators pressed charges against Trnka in late December for misusing the powers of a public official when he was prosecutor-general by keeping and hiding a recording related to the Gorilla political corruption scandal instead of handing it over to the law-enforcement authorities. According to the police, Trnka did so with the aim of obtaining financial benefits for himself and Kočner, who is currently being tried in court for ordering the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak. Financial group Penta co-owner Jaroslav Haščák's voice is allegedly among those captured on the recording of the Gorilla case talking to several politicians regarding commissions from state-related business in 2005 and 2006. Penta argues that the recording are illegal material. Trnka allegedly tried to blackmail Haščák.
In late November last year, another conversation between Trnka and the former finance minister for Smer-SD Jan Počiatek that was video-recorded by Marián Kočner surfaced. On the video, the two discuss a controversial carbon-dioxide emission-quota deal from 2008 and a lawsuit between the state-run lottery and betting company Tipos and a Cyprus-based company called Lemikon, also dating back to 2008 which turned disadvantageous for the state coffers.
Both Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and President Zuzana Čaputová welcomed Trnka's arrest, calling it a proof that law enforcement agencies have their hands untied in investigating crimes no matter who is the suspect. The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party views the detention of former prosecutor-general Dobroslav Trnka as good news for Slovakia, but wants to know why the police have only taken action now, however. The OLaNO party expected more vigorous action as well. "The time that NAKA gave him to sweep up traces and coordinate procedures with his corrupt friends will make further procedures leading to justice more difficult for absolutely no good reason," stated OLaNO leader Igor Matovič.
