Ex-judge and Fico Adviser David L. Acquitted of Court Interference Charges

Banska Bystrica/Bratislava, 2 April (TASR) – A single judge at the Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica on Thursday acquitted former judge and current adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), lawyer David L. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], of charges of interfering with judicial independence and indirect corruption. The court ruled that it hadn't been clearly proven that the alleged acts occurred as stated in the indictment. The verdict is not final; the prosecutor has filed an appeal. In his closing statement, the prosecutor proposed a suspended prison sentence of two years, with a probation period of two years. He stressed that key witnesses, former judges who testified against the defendant, are knowledgeable in criminal law and were aware of the consequences if they testified falsely. David L. maintained his innocence, stating that the acts that he was accused of did not occur and could not have objectively taken place. He asked to be acquitted, emphasising that only two isolated testimonies from cooperating defendants, who received benefits in return, were used against him. "There is no evidence, only false testimony from cooperating witnesses," he said, adding that the criminalisation of his case allegedly has a political background. One of the key witnesses against him was former judge Vladimir Sklenka, who has testified in several cases involving suspected manipulation of court decisions and corruption. The prosecutor filed charges against David L. in July 2022. The STS single judge initially rejected the indictment, but the prosecutor lodged a complaint. The Supreme Court overturned the lower court's decision and instructed it to rehear and decide on the case. mf/df