Supreme Court Sends Kocner and Rusko to 19 Years in Jail for Note Forgery
Bratislava, January 12 (TASR) – The Supreme Court on Tuesday found Marian Kocner and Pavol Rusko guilty of counterfeiting the TV Markiza promissory notes and sentenced them both to 19 years in jail, TASR learnt on the same day.
A fine amounting to €10,000 has been levied on Marian K. as well. The court thus upheld the previous verdict issued by the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok (Bratislava region) in December 2020.
“The Supreme Court has upheld today the ruling of the Specialised Criminal Court, which imposed sentences of 19 years on both defendants. Justice has won today. But this is only the beginning,” said Markiza lawyer Daniel Lipsic.
“This is the greatest economic case in the history of Slovak justice and criminalistics,” said Jan Santa, the supervisory prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, adding that he considers the sentences to be exemplary but at the same time just. “We’ve shown that law enforcement bodies, the police and the prosecutor’s office are able not only to detect and accuse, but also to bring charges in any case and the Slovak courts are able to make a quick, legal and fair decision,” he added.
Lawyer of the convicts Marek Para didn’t want to comment on the Supreme Court’s decision. He’ll do so only after a written version has been prepared. “We’ll file an extraordinary appeal,” he said, adding that he considers the trial to be unfair.
STS in Pezinok sentenced Kocner and Rusko last year.
After a mutual agreement with Stefan A. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], whose criminal case has been excluded for separate proceedings, Kocner and Rusko issued four forged promissory notes. They submitted them as annexes for issuing payment orders. They would have thus obtained €69 million.