Bribery charges dropped for former interior

The bribery charges against former Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, linked to a corruption scandal involving the Financial Administration, have been dismissed, according to Jana Tokolyova, spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office. Deputy Prosecutor General Jozef Sedlak acknowledged Kalinak's complaint about a law breach against him, yet rejected a similar plea from another person charged in the case, named Jozef B. The spokesperson noted that significant and uncorrectable violations were uncovered, leading to the revocation of the disputed final decision in the preparatory proceedings related to Kalinak.
 
Consequently, Kalinak's case has been referred back to the National Crime Agency (NAKA) for a fresh decision.
 
Both Kalinak and Jozef B. faced bribery charges in February, stemming from suspicions of bribing a senior Financial Administration official, which they deemed politically motivated. In March, a prosecutor indicted the duo, but in April, a judge from the Specialised Criminal Court dismissed the indictment due to severe procedural infractions, especially a violation of the right to a defense.
 
The decision has not yet been delivered to the Office of the Special Prosecutor. Representatives of the Office added that Kaliňák had filed two motions to proceed under Section 363 of the Criminal Procedure Code. "They were filed at a time when they could not produce any legal effects," the special prosecutor's office says. It likened it to a situation where an accused files an appeal for certainty before the first instance judgment is pronounced, whereas subsequently the Court of Appeal should consider such an appeal as duly and timely filed.
 
The Special Prosecutor's Office also pointed out that the Deputy Prosecutor General had either ruled on the case without having access to the investigation file, or had consulted it directly in court, which would appear to be a first in history.
 
Source: TASR