Lucansky Dissolves Kuciak Murder Investigation Team
Bratislava, October 22 (TASR) – Police Corps President Milan Lucansky on Tuesday dissolved the team that was investigating the murders of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova, the police have reported on a social network.
Lucansky has dissolved the originally 82-strong investigation team, comprised of investigators, operative and analytical police officers, with regards to the fact that a prosecutor at the Special Prosecutor’s Office (USP) on Monday (October 21) filed charges against Marian K. and three other people – Tomas Sz., Miroslav M. and Alena Zs., relating to the murders of Kuciak and Kusnirova. The investigation file containing 25,000 pages and 160 supplements is thus no longer in the hands of the police.
“I thank all the police officers who were part of the ‘Kuciak’ team. I’m pleased that the murder, which has shaken the entire country, was investigated within such a short time. Now it’s a court’s turn,” stated Lucansky.
According to Lucansky, enormous media pressure was put on the team, and the mood in Slovakia was very sceptical. With regards to the team’s results, several police officers have been promoted and financially rewarded, said Lucansky.
A great deal of evidence has been gathered since the Kuciak team began working on the case in March 2018. This includes 50 terabytes of data from mobile operators and camera recordings.
Details of many other crimes were revealed during the investigation into the journalist’s murder, such as plans to murder prosecutors Peter Sufliarsky and Maros Zilinka and lawyer Daniel Lipsic, illicit arming, the premeditated murder of businessman Peter Molnar in 2016 and the premeditated murder of former mayor of Hurbanovo Laszlo Basternak.
Kuciak and his fiancée were murdered in Kuciak’s house at Velka Maca (Trnava region) on February 21, 2018. The person who ordered the murder paid at least €70,000 for it.