The Specialised Criminal Court handed down a suspended three-year sentence with a three year probation and €10,000 fine to judge emeritus of Žilina Regional Court Maria Urbanová for accepting bribes. The verdict is definitive, as the judge waived her right to appeal as part of the plea bargain. "Morally, I failed. I'm terribly sorry for that, I would not wish what I am going through on anybody. This will haunt me for the rest of my life. Despite that, however, I stand behind my verdicts, which were lawful and just," the convicted judge told the court.
Urbanová and another Žilina Regional Court judge Eva K. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] were arrested in early 2021 as part of National Criminal Agency's (NAKA) operation nicknamed the Weed 2 for suspicions of taking bribes in February 2015-August 2019 to issue verdicts in favour of defendants in criminal cases. Eva K. has ended up in police custody, whereas Urbanová chose to cooperate with the police and opted for the plea bargain.
