Donovaly and Bac Trial with Marian K. Adjourned Again

Banska Bystrica, 8 August (TASR) - The trial involving entrepreneur Marian K. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] in the Donovaly and Bac cases concerning economic crimes has been adjourned, TASR has learnt on Friday. The trial was scheduled to resume on Friday at the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Banska Bystrica, but of the three defendants, only Marian K. appeared in court in person. The other two defendants, Jana S. and Peter P., again failed to appear, but they agreed the trial could take place in their absence. However, due to the extensive nature of the case and the evidence presented during the pre-trial stage, the prosecutor insisted on their presence so that they could be questioned. The main hearing was eventually adjourned, as was the case a year ago. The defendants' attorneys have been instructed to strongly warn the defendants that the hearings, set to resume in October, must be attended in person. The trial at STS commenced in August of last year, with four people originally indicted, but the criminal prosecution of Jan F. has been halted in the meantime. The indictment concerns excessive VAT deductions amounting to more than €8 million used in connection with the sale of real estate in the village of Donovaly (Banska Bystrica region) between several trading companies. In addition to the crime of the failure to pay taxes and insurance levies, the indictment also concerns the crime of damaging a creditor in connection with a public auction of the golf course near the village of Bac (Trnava region), for which the damages reportedly reached almost €3 million. According to Marian K.'s attorney Michal Mandzak, his client is convinced of his innocence, considering the indictment to be confusing. They both believe that the prosecutor is making no distinction between abuse of law and tax fraud. jrg/df/ko