It is quite different scenes, which took place on Monday in connection with journalists ‘ murders in two member States of the European Union: On the day exactly one year after the deadly car bomb attack on Daphne Caruana Galizia, hundreds came together in Malta to the silent memory of the reporter. The people were United in their grief and disappointment that, until today, completely in the dark, who had given the order for the assassination.
In Slovakia, however, on the same day: excitement, movement, police and prosecutors in action. Eight months after the murder of the journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiance Martina Kusnirova the security authorities carried out in the early hours of the morning in various places in raids in houses, apartments and offices.
It was the property of the rich businessman Marian Kocner. Subsequently, the police confirmed: Kocner will now be suspected to have something to do with the murder of the journalist. The 55-Year-old is said to have given the order to vacate Kuciak out of the way.
Since the murder of the couple in February, there is speculation in this direction – and there are several reasons for this: In the evening hours of that day, a man was penetrated in the small detached house in the village of Velka Maca. He informed the Pair with shots to the head and chest.
The extensive investigations led to the end of September to the arrest of four people. In the case of the three detained men to be the alleged killer and two accomplices. The also arrested-Italian-Translator, Alena, for example, is said to have issued the order and 70,000 euros paid. However, the woman lacked a motive, there was no connection to Kuciak.
In the case of Kocner, led since Monday, officially as a murder suspect, is different. About it the Journalist of the Online newspaper had aktuality”.sk“ reported. Kocner is due to dubious business for many years, the focus of law enforcement and journalists. He was involved in the past in various criminal activities, he still was left for years by the police and the Prosecutor’s office in silence. He was said to have the best contacts to the power elite of the country established.
In one of his last lyrics were written by Kuciak in detail about real estate Deals of Kocner, prompting the business man called the journalists and threatened them. He would ensure that he could never write again, and “Dirt” about him and his family spread.
Kuciak had displayed after the call Kocner, but the police have not identified. The Journalist criticized the inaction of the authorities in Facebook. A little later he was dead.
Kocner had threatened in the past, reporters only, but also publicly insulted. In the past year, he had also announced to want to have a website to build, to want to on the he private lives of journalists reports.
He drove the same line as Ex-Prime Minister, Robert Fico, the government called critical journalists as “anti-Slovak prostitutes,” and its remarkable Connections to the Slovak underworld wrote Kuciak and his colleagues.
entrepreneurs Kocner and politicians, Fico was said to have, in the past, always have a close connection. Fico was forced to resign after the murder of Kuciak, Kocner is waiting in prison to his process.
The multi-millionaire dismissed so far, any connection to the fact. Also, the investigators were able to prove no proximity to the crime. In the preliminary written reconstruction of the crime, at the end of September the Slovak special court, met created the Name Kocner a no-show.
According to the investigators, was taken in December 2017, the Plan to assassinate Kuciak. At the time, to met Alena, for example, with a well-Known, Zoltan A., and photos of Kuciak, as well as its address. This well-Known officer of the Ex-police officer Thomas Sz. with the murder; 50,000 Euro should be adopted in flow thus, in bar to the later murderer, liabilities in the amount of 20,000 euros. That was the Deal.
The recipient committed Miroslav M., a friend, as a driver. Both scouted in the weeks before the crime seven Times the place Velka Maca and the house of Kuciak off but did not seem that the roads there via video cameras to be monitored.
On the 21. February finally Thomas Sz came. back to the village and killed the young Couple. Shortly thereafter, he got his money. As to the parties Involved, the scope of the crime was clear, and called for the perpetrators of more money; apparently, Alena paid for a second Time, the total is unknown.
Was all this money by Marian Kocner, the man in the crosshairs of investigative journalist Kuciak? This suspicion of the Slovak criminal police Naka is intense. Fixed, you had to take Kocner: Since the summer, he sits in the capital city of Bratislava in custody – allegations of forgery of bills of exchange seem to be worth the equivalent of 69 million euros.
The prison he was only allowed on Monday for the search of his residential and business premises for a few hours leave. On a WORLD-request Kocners lawyer has not responded.
