'Purgatory' Defendants Want Court to Hear Cases under Statute of Limitations (2)

Banska Bystrica, 26 October (TASR) - Three of the defendants in the Purgatory case - businessman Norbert B., Parliamentary Vice-chair Tibor G. and ex-official of the former National Crime Agency (NAKA) Robert K. [names abbreviated due to legal reasons] - are requesting that the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) should also hear cases involving offences to which the statute of limitations applies, stated lawyer Marek Para at the start of the main hearing on Monday. On Wednesday, 21 October, the STS panel suspended criminal proceedings in relation to some of the charges in the Purgatory case on the grounds of statutes of limitations. In the case of Norbert B., this concerns two offences; in the case of Tibor G., one offence; and in the case of Robert K., four offences. At Monday's hearing, Para stated that the defendants were waiving their right to lodge an appeal against the ruling and were requesting that the court should also hear the cases to which statutes of limitations apply. "We want the evidence to be heard. I believe that our evidential position is very strong, which is why we insist that the case should be heard," Para told the media. Defendant Tibor G., who is implicated in one of the acts falling under statutes of limitations, said that he wants to demonstrate to the public that he doesn't have to rely on the prosecutor's motion to discontinue the criminal proceedings. "We've already dealt with a substantial part of that act in court, and it's clear what the evidence has shown so far," he said. Prosecutor Bohdan Celovsky noted that the court could hear the acts coming under statutes of limitations but would be unable to impose a sentence on the defendants in the event of a guilty verdict. "One question remains: how members of Parliament will respond to the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code submitted by the ministry, given that the Constitutional Court ruled the previous attempt as unconstitutional. We'll see what becomes of the latest amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code, which is once again restricting and could even eliminate the fight against organised crime, and would also affect this case," said the prosecutor. The charges in the Purgatory case relate to the setting up, masterminding and supporting of a criminal organisation, bribery, accepting bribes and the abuse of public office; and they originally comprised 20 counts. Sitting in the dock are Norbert B., Tibor G., former special prosecutor Dusan K., former president of Financial Administration Frantisek I., and senior officials of the former NAKA: Bernard S., Peter H., Marian Z., Robert K., Milan M., ex-police officer Roman S. and businessman Boris T. Most of them consider the charges to be unfounded and unlawful. NOTE: This story has been extended to include paragraphs 3-4 mf/am/df