Prosecutor: Criminal Prosecution to Be Launched in Kidnapping Case

Bratislava, October 2 (TASR) – Concerning the case of kidnapped Vietnamese citizen Trinh Xuan Thanh, the supervising prosecutor after examining the dossier has instructed the investigator to launch a criminal prosecution over the crime of unlawful restraint by means of complicity, TASR learnt from prosecutor Michal Surek of the Bratislava Regional Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday.

According to Surek, 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 Sakova (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.

Dennik 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.

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.