On Monday, a prosecutor from the Special Prosecutor's Office added audio-visual evidence to his proposal to extend the custody of defendants in the Purgatory case targeting high-stakes corruption. The court-authorised surveillance videos feature opposition party Smer-SD chair and former Prime Minister Robert Fico; the son of former police chief Tibor Gaspar (whose father is in police custody); Miroslav Bodor, the father of a controversial businessman, also held in custody; controversial entrepreneur Marian Kocner’s lawyer Marek Para; and former interior minister Robert Kalinak. The group was filmed discussing high-profile corruption prosecutions at a cottage. The evidence is supposed to confirm that there has been an effort by several politicians, businessmen and lawyers to influence criminal prosecutions in the most serious criminal cases. In reaction, Fico claimed that he will continue to work on proving the innocence of the indicted nominees of his former government, who face corruption-related charges.
Source: TASR
