Specialised Criminal Court resumes trial in journalist murder case

A senate of the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok on Wednesday resumed the main trial against those charged with the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova, after a pause connected with the coronavirus outbreak in March. Further evidence is due to be presented on Wednesday, with the public excluded. Only the parties involved in the process and some selected media have been given access to the courtroom.
Businessman Marian Kocner stands accused of ordering the murder of Kuciak, with his associate Alena Zsuzsova allegedly serving as an intermediary and Tomas Szabo as the direct accomplice of hitman Miroslav Marcek, who's already pleaded guilty and received a 23-year sentence. Nevertheless, the prosecutor has appealed against this sentence to the Supreme Court. Earlier, the Specialised Criminal Court handed down a 15-year sentence to Zoltan Andrusko, who had confessed to receiving the hit request from Alena Zsuzsova and to tasking Tomas Szabo and Miroslav Marcek with carrying out the job.