Both Prosecutor and Investigator Erred in Investigation of Clean Day
Bratislava, September 27 (TASR) – According to an examination commissioned by the Prosecutor-General’s Office (GP), the investigation into the alleged sexual exploitation of wards of the Clean Day resocialisation centre in Galanta wasn’t faultless, TASR learnt on Tuesday.
GP has received reports from regional prosecution offices (KP) in Trnava and Trencin who have analysed documents regarding two criminal matters and stated that only one investigation was in line with the law. Nevertheless, both point to the need for the investigations to be renewed due to new circumstances.
Trnava KP has checked the criminal prosecution concerning the crime of sexual exploitation based on complaints of the mother of allegedly abused under-age Nikola from August 26, 2015. Galanta district investigators dropped the prosecution on November 26, 2015 however.
Nothing has indicated that a crime could’ve been committed there – a crime of sexual exploitation, explained GP spokesperson Andrea Predajnova.
Subsequently, law enforcement authorities received new information based on another complaint filed by Nikola’s mother to GP on August 22, 2016 and to the police in Galanta on September 5, 2016. A Trnava KP investigator has thus launched a criminal prosecution over the crime of sexual exploitation and abuse.
The crimes were allegedly committed back in 2014 or earlier and their victims were supposedly several under-age children from the centre. Trnava KP and GP have taken charge of the new investigation.
Another investigation was led by an investigator of the Police Corps Povazska Bystrica District Directorate (Trencin region) based on a complaint of the mother that suggested that four wards of the centre were raped at a cottage in Povazska Bystrica district. The investigator closed the investigation on May 17, 2016, ruling out the possibility that it was rape.
However, Trencin KP has come across several flaws in the investigation. The investigator didn’t carry out an interrogation of all essential and accessible witnesses and didn’t procure all relevant documents, noted Predajnova. In addition, the Povazska Bystrica district attorney committed some errors as well. Based on its findings, Trencin KP has thus relaunched the investigation as well.
