Former Prosecutor-general Trnka Released from Police Cell

Bratislava, January 17 (TASR) – Former prosecutor-general Dobroslav Trnka, who was arrested and interrogated by the National Crime Agency (NAKA) for over eight hours on Thursday, was released from the cell on Friday on the order of a prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, its spokesperson Jana Tokolyova told TASR on Friday.

The police earlier in the day announced that they had asked the Special Prosecutor’s Office to remand Trnka in custody over suspicion of misuse of a public official’s powers.

“The supervising prosecutor examined the motion on charges against D.T. in the criminal issue in question, as well as the related dossier, and found that the objective substance of the crime of misuse of a public official’s powers wasn’t present,” stated Tokolyova, adding that the prosecutor thus deemed it irrelevant to consider reasons for remanding Trnka in custody.

These charges were related to Trnka’s withholding from prosecution of a recording concerning the Gorilla corruption scandal from the 2000s, which came to light shortly before the general election in 2012 and effectively triggered the demise of the erstwhile main government party SDKU-DS.

When it came to a recently leaked video recording from a decade ago, in which Trnka discussed some shady circumstances of a deal with Cyprus-based company Lemikon with then finance minister for Smer-SD Jan Pociatek, the Special Prosecutor’s Office stated that there is a suspicion of possible economic crimes.

“It will therefore be necessary for the police to examine individual economic relations and their purpose in the case and if relevant facts are discovered, relevant legal moves should be taken,” said Tokolyova.