Bribery Charges against Ex-minister Kalinak Dropped (2)

Bratislava, August 7 (TASR) - Bribery charges against ex-interior minister Robert Kalinak related to a corruption scandal concerning Financial Administration have been dropped, Prosecutor General's (PG) Office spokesperson Jana Tokolyova told TASR on Monday. Deputy PG Jozef Sedlak complied with Kalinak's complaint that the law had been broken to his detriment. However, he rejected an analogous appeal by another person charged in the case - Jozef B. "Serious violations that could not be corrected in any other way and that justified revocation of the contested final decision in the preparatory proceedings in the part concerning the accused [Robert Kalinak] were discovered," the spokeswoman stated, adding that Kalinak's case has been returned to the National Crime Agency (NAKA) to make a new decision on the matter. Both Kalinak and Jozef B. were charged with bribery in early February, with the charges being based on suspicions that they bribed a senior official at Financial Administration. Kalinak and Jozef B. called the charges politically motivated at that time. A prosecutor indicted the two men in March, but a Specialised Criminal Court judge dismissed the indictment in April, claiming that there were serious procedural violations, in particular a violation of the right to a defence. zel/mcs