Concerning the case of kidnapped Vietnamese citizen Trinh Xuan Thanh, after examining the dossier the supervising prosecutor has instructed the investigator to launch criminal prosecution over the crime of unlawful restraint by means of complicity, TASR learnt from prosecutor Michal Šúrek of the Bratislava Regional Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday.
Vietnamese state manager Trinh Xuan Thanh was allegedly kidnapped by the Vietnamese secret service from Germany to his country of origin last July with the help of the Slovak government aircraft. The case is being investigated by both Slovak and German bodies.
According to Šúrek, a total of 22 people have been interrogated regarding the kidnapping case so far. These individuals are among the 44 people that were released from the obligation to preserve confidentiality by Interior Minister Denisa Saková (Smer-SD) in order to provide relevant information on the case. Based on the results of the examination, the investigator rejected part of the criminal motion lodged by journalists Monika T. and Ivan M. concerning suspicions of the crime of misusing the powers of a public official along with that of forging and manipulating a public document, an official seal or official mark.
The Denník N daily reported on Monday (October 1) that two police officers testified to Slovak investigators that they had seen the Vietnamese citizen dragged on board the Slovak government aircraft. These testimonies represent a turning point in the investigation into the kidnapping case, stated the daily.
The interior minister at the time of the abduction, Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD), denied involvement with the kidnapping, and insists that he hasn't been involved in any way, shape or form, TASR reported on Tuesday. "And if it's confirmed that our hospitality was taken advantage of by Vietnam, this will have severe diplomatic consequences," Kaliňák wrote on a social network.
According to Kaliňák, the investigation hasn't confirmed so far the notion of him greenlighting the operation as minister but rather on the contrary - it disproves any participation of state bodies in the kidnapping. Kaliňák hopes that the two police officers who gave their testimonies and are alleged to be kidnapping witnesses will continue to cooperate with the Prosecutor's Office. He fails to understand why they didn't step forward and do so earlier.
