Court Orders Custody for Man Accused of Embezzlement at Petrzalka Office

Bratislava, 26 May (TASR) - Rene H., who is accused of embezzlement at the local authority office in the Bratislava borough of Petrzalka, has been remanded in custody following a decision by Bratislava Region Court on Monday, which overturned a ruling of Bratislava I District Court and upheld the prosecutor's appeal. The court's decision is final. The appeals court considered custody to be justified, stating that its purpose couldn't be achieved by any other measure. It didn't accept the accused's written promise or his mother's financial guarantee. Rene H., an employee of the payroll department in Petrzalka, is alleged to have unlawfully transferred funds into his own accounts since at least 2023, causing damage exceeding 2.7 million euros. In response to the situation, mayor of Bratislava's borough of Petrzalka Juraj Hrcka resigned at the end of May, explaining that he was stepping down because the fraud wasn't discovered earlier. If found guilty, the accused faces a prison sentence of three to ten years. Bratislava I District Court, whose decision was overturned by the regional court on Monday, did not order custody. lin/df