In Slovakia, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak has been acquitted for the second time. Businessman Marian Kočner was accused of ordering the murder of 27-year-old investigative journalist Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova in 2018. But according to the court in Pezinok, there is not enough evidence.
Kočner had been sentenced to life imprisonment. He had previously been acquitted, but the Slovak Supreme Court had rejected that acquittal and ordered a new trial.
Revenge
Journalist Kuciak had written critical reports about the businessman and, according to prosecutors, Kočner wanted revenge with the murder. He allegedly threatened the investigative journalist several times. In 2017, a year before he was killed, Kuciak filed a complaint about this. According to him, the police did not do enough to protect him.
After Kočner’s previous acquittal, in 2020, major protests against bribery and corruption arose in government circles.
The perpetrator of the double murder, a former soldier, was previously sentenced to 25 years in prison. An intermediary was sentenced to 15 years.
The case against Kočner is not yet over: an appeal is still possible.
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