Specialised Court Sentences Juraj Ondrejcak to 21 Years and 4 Months in Prison

Pezinok/Bratislava, 22 September (TASR) – The Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Pezinok on Monday sentenced gang boss Juraj 'Pito' Ondrejcak to a combined prison term of 21 years and 4 months, under medium security, and also imposed a protective supervision order for a period of three years. At the same time, the court annulled the previous sentence from STS's ruling in May, as well as a ruling of the Supreme Court from August. This decision was based on an addendum to a plea-bargain agreement concluded between the prosecutor and Ondrejcak. The verdict is final. Prosecutor Rastislav Hruska explained after the hearing that the revised plea agreement took into account the amendment to the Criminal Code from 6 August 2024. According to the amendment, the time elapsed since the crime was committed must also be considered. "The sentence was reduced in recognition of the fact that the previously convicted defendant had already received a 1.5-year reduction in his sentence. Originally, the proposed sentence was 21 years and 6 months, representing a reduction of 1.5 years when compared to the initial plea bargain. This was further adjusted by an additional two-month reduction," clarified Hruska. Ondrejcak's lawyer, Ivan Mojzis, said that it's unclear how much time his client will actually serve. "It depends on whether the court agrees to his release on probation. That could come into play in about a year and a half," he told reporters. In late January, the Supreme Court annulled Ondrejcak’s 23-year prison sentence, which had been handed down by STS in Pezinok in 2021 based on a plea bargain. Ondrejcak had been serving a sentence for the murder of Luboslav Velko, the contract killing of Jan Takac, and other crimes. Since May, Ondrejcak has been serving a 14.5-year combined prison term imposed by STS in the first renewed trial and confirmed by the Supreme Court in late August. mf/df