Supreme Court keeps former Deputy Justice Minister in custody

The Supreme Court has ruled that former Deputy Justice Ministry Monika Jankovska as well as other judges and additional people must remain in custody. They have been charged with corruption-related activities linked to Marian Kocner, a controversial entrepreneur prosecuted for ordering the hit on murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and convicted of counterfeiting promissory notes against TV Markiza.

A Supreme Court senate has also decided that Bratislava V District Court judge Zuzana Maruniakova is not to be held in custody while being prosecuted. The judge faces charges of accepting bribes and misusing the powers of a public official. According to a prosecutor from the Special Prosecutor's Office, the judge intends to co-operate with police, while continuing to deny any guilt. Zuzana Maruniakova is accused of accepting an undetermined amount of money in cash from Marian Kocner - a controversial entrepreneur who has been charged with ordering the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and recently sentenced to 19 years in prison for counterfeiting promissory notes. The payment was allegedly made via former Justice Ministry state secretary Monika Jankovska (Smer-SD), as Maruniakova's reward for ruling in favour of Marian Kocner in the case of one of the promissory notes. Zuzana Maruniakova failed to investigate the authenticity of the promissory note or allow any evidence to be submitted. A total of 13 judges, aside from other individuals, were detained and indicted with corruption-related charges in the wake of the 'Storm' bust operation. "The storm isn't over yet," declared the prosecutor, adding that there's still a long way to go before the cases are concluded.