The journalist Ján Kuciak and his partner have been shot in Slovakia. According to police president Tibor Gašpar, it is probable that motive has something to do with Kuciaks work. “The evidence indicates that assassination was planned and was not done in a spontaneous altercation,” Gašpar said. Both victims were killed in ir private homes by gunfire in ir heads and breasts.
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The 27-year-old had regularly reported on cases of suspected tax fraud on news portal Aktuality.sk. Above all, Kuciak described cases of prominent entrepreneurs who, according to his research, should have maintained business relations with ruling Social Democrats as well as in circles of organised crime.
In his last story for Aktuality.sk on 9 February, Kuciak reported suspicions of tax fraud in connection with a complex of luxury apartments in Bratislava. Because of case, re had been 2017 protests and resignations against Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák because of his business connections to project developer, who was identified for tax fraud. Both have denied wrongdoing.
Threats from economy
The entrepreneur Marián Kočner had recently publicly threatened Kuciak on account of his articles. He will gar about Kuciak and his family of similar “dirt reports” as this about him, Kočner had announced. Kočner has been a case in Slovakia for more than 20 years as an example of links between politics and shady business people. Kuciak and or journalists recently told him business connections with top politicians to controversial interior Minister Kaliňák.
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According to police president, mor of killed woman had called police because she had not heard from her daughter since Thursday. A police patrol was n driven to house near west Slovak town of Galanta, where couple lived, and found two dead. Presumed Tatzeit and Targang would still be determined, Gašpar said.
He promised to use all available forces to identify offender or unknown perpetrator. “Slovakia has never experienced such an unprecedented attack on a journalist,” said police president. In past, Gašpar had repeatedly supported Interior Minister Kaliňák in his criticism of journalists.
Axel Springer suspects connection with research
The German media group Axel Springer, who belongs to Aktuality.sk, reacted dismayed to news of murder of Kuciak. “We are horrified and stunned by news that Ján Kuciak and his partner have apparently been victims of a cruel assassination,” publisher shared. “Even if background is not yet fully understood, re is a suspicion that crime is related to an ongoing research by our colleague.”
Kuciak had been an editor at Aktuality.sk since 2015. “If assassination attempt is to prevent an independent publisher such as Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia from uncovering maladministration, we will take this as an opportunity to pursue our journalistic mission more conscientiously and consistently.”
