Court Acquits All Defendants Accused of Attempted Murder of Klaus-Volzova

Bratislava, 24 September (TASR) - Former TV Markiza general director and ex-economy minister Pavol Rusko has been acquitted of the attempted murder of former co-owner of the television channel Sylvia Klaus-Volzova by Bratislava Regional Court, TASR learnt on Wednesday. The court also acquitted his three co-defendants: boss of the 'Sykorovci' crime gang Robert 'Bucket' Lalis, former Banska Bystrica mob boss Mikulas Cernak and Milos Kastan. The verdict is final, but none of the acquitted came to hear it. In September 2023, Bratislava I City Court acquitted all of the four accused, but the decision was appealed against by the prosecutor and the aggrieved party. According to the indictment, in the autumn of 1997 Pavol R. allegedly ordered the murder from Cernak, who allegedly involved the Bratislava-based Sykorovci gang in it. According to the indictment, Rusko's motive for ordering the murder was financial gain and control over the television channel. Rusko was previously sentenced to 19 years in prison in the case regarding the counterfeiting of Markiza TV promissory notes. In September, he was acquitted of charges related to subsidy fraud concerning the case of the Lighthouse of Hope NGO. jrg/df