Sutaj Estok: Investigation Closed in Kuciak Case, Impossible to Resume It

Bratislava, 18 November (TASR) - The investigation into the Kuciak case has been concluded, so resuming it is technically impossible, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) told journalists on Tuesday in reaction to Premier Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) call to reopen the investigation into the 2018 murders of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova. "It's in court today, I don't know what else could be done procedurally," he said. "I think that the prosecutor-general (PG) has also commented on this clearly. If a supervising prosecutor comes up with a proposal that some evidence needs to be supplemented, a prosecutor must decide on this, and only then can an investigator act. After all, there's the Slovak Intelligence Service, and if it has any document saying that there's fundamental evidence here, it would help to clarify who was behind this heinous murder, I think that we're ready to act at any time. However, I think that this case is already procedurally closed in terms of the investigation," explained the minister. Sutaj Estok opined that Slovakia has many other problems and challenges that need to be addressed. "If the premier has any information, I think he'll definitely come up with it," he said. In a speech that he delivered at a party event titled '17 November – A Day of Respect for Different Opinions' at the Agrokomplex venue in Nitra on Monday (17 November), Fico called on the interior minister and PG Maros Zilinka to revisit, in light of new circumstances that have emerged on the international stage, what happened in 2018. In reaction, the PG Office said earlier on Tuesday that it won't comment on statements and calls by politicians regarding open criminal cases that are at the stage of criminal proceedings. ko/df