Top Manager of D4R7 Construction to Be Prosecuted at Large

Bratislava, June 8 (TASR) – A three-member senate of Bratislava Regional Court, chaired by Tibor Kubik, decided at a non-public session on Monday that Michael H. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], the top manager of D4R7 Construction, the main constructor of the D4/R7 motorway bypass around Bratislava, will be prosecuted at large and not in custody.

Michael H. faces charges of environmental damage.

The regional court thus rejected the supervising prosecutor’s appeal against last week’s decision by Bratislava III District Court. “The court rejected the prosecutor’s motion to take him into custody. We can only state that the court also perceived the basic principles of the rule of law and that in principle the method of restricting personal liberty was not appropriate. At the same time, our client is absolutely open. He’ll respect the restrictions imposed and will cooperate with law enforcement bodies,” said the defendant’s lawyer Ondrej Laciak.

The decision of Bratislava Regional Court is final and valid.

Michael H. was detained during the police’s Operation Executive. Another defendant, a Spanish national, is no longer living in Slovakia, so measures will be taken against him in line with international agreements on criminal law.

By conducting illegal mining of materials to be used in the construction of the Bratislava bypass, the defendants allegedly caused significant environmental damage of €12.5 million in the Zitny Ostrov area, Slovakia’s biggest drinking-water reservoir. Company assets worth €12.2 million have already been frozen, and several items of real estate in Slovakia impounded.

The police are already investigating nine criminal cases with respect to the controversial construction work.