The Specialised Criminal Court ended the presentation of evidence in the case of the MP and far-right People's Party Our Slovakia leader Marian Kotleba. The MP is charged with expressing support for a movement that advocates the suppression of fundamental rights and freedoms.
The court cancelled the previous session of the trial, as Kotleba was in mandatory quarantine returning from Montenegro, which had been listed among high-risk countries. The trial was previously hampered by the fact that Kotleba questioned the impartiality of judge Ružena Sabová. The Supreme Court eventually turned down his objection of bias and the trial continued in late March and in early June.
Kotleba is charged of distributing three charity cheques worth €1,488 in 2017. According to the Special Prosecutor's Office, the number 1488 has a significance for extremists, as it is a combination of the numbers 14 (standing for the Fourteen Words of right-wing terrorist David Lane) and 88 (as 'H' is the eighth letter in the alphabet, HH serves as an acronym for the Nazi salute 'Heil Hitler').
If found guilty, Kotleba could be sent to prison for eight years.
