Judge Milan Cisarik of the Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok has found Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia, Peter Kažimír, guilty of bribery. The verdict is not yet final. Kažimír, who previously served as Minister of Finance, was sentenced to a financial penalty of €200,000, with a substitute prison sentence of one year if the fine is not paid. He was also given a forfeiture penalty of €48,000. The defendant did not attend the sentencing.
“It makes no sense to fabricate such a trivial case,” Judge Cisarik said in his justification, noting that the defense’s arguments mainly focused on the statute of limitations and stopping the prosecution. However, the judge ruled the case could not be dismissed, as it involved European funds and value-added tax. The sentence took into account Kažimír’s income and the amount of the bribe.
The prosecutor had proposed an unconditional prison sentence in the mid-range of the penalty scale (one to five years), a minimum five-year ban from professional activity, and the seizure of €48,000.
According to the indictment, while serving as finance minister, Peter Kažimír repeatedly pressured then head of the financial administration, František Imrecze, to ensure, among other things, the expedited payment of VAT refunds totaling over three million euros to several companies. Kažimír allegedly handed Imrecze a €48,000 bribe.
Source: STVR
