The accused regional mayor of Košice, Rastislav Trnka, remains at large. On Monday, the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic rejected the prosecutor's complaint against the Specialized Criminal Court for not taking Trnka into custody. However, it stated that the criminal prosecution of the accused is justified. The decision is final. A pre-trial judge released the Kosice region head from detention on February 19. Unlike the Supreme Court, it stated the non-existence of material conditions for deciding on custody. According to the pre-trial judge, the accusation was based on one sentence from a witness statement, which the accused denied. A prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor's Office objected in the complaint that the truthfulness of the witness statement was confirmed by another person. The National Crime Agency (NAKA) carried out raids in eastern Slovakia on February 17 as part of Operation Valentine, aimed at documenting economic crime. Seven people were detained and charges were pressed against five. The case concerns the procurement of non-contact thermometers and road maintenance trucks. The damage incurred was allegedly €300,000. Rastislav Trnka in the past faced criticism for a purchase of non-contact thermometers and road-maintenance lorries, which were allegedly overpriced. He denied any wrongdoing.
Source: TASR
