After assassination of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak, EU Commission wants to investigate. “We are now looking closely at case,” said Budget Commissioner Günr Oettinger of world. In a few weeks, re will be clarity about financial flows and possible misuse. In his own words, Oettinger considers it possible that payments to farmers or agricultural producers have been misused for criminal purposes.
if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile8’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile8’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–8 ad-desktop–8-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-label’, ‘Anzeige’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-8’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile8’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 8 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile3’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile3’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–3 ad-mobile–3-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-3’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile3’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 3 mobile’) } } }
The 27-year-old journalist Kuciak had reported on crimes by businessmen, some of whom had links with politicians. His last report apparently was supposed to expose a complicated mafia network. The connections should have been made to highest Slovak government offices, and EU funds should also have been embezzled. The unfinished text published on Wednesday morning Slovak media in collaboration with portal Aktuality.sk, for which Kuciak had worked. The text should also be published internationally in English and German.
Kuciak and his girlfriend were found shot on weekend. On Wednesday, Slovak Minister of Culture, Marek Maďarič, withdrew because of case. For a long time he had denounced possible links between criminals and politics and demanded resignation of Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák. Now, Maďarič said, “as a minister of culture, I cannot accept that a journalist will be murdered in my term.”
If Kuciaks research were to be correct, four Italian families would have managed to branch out funds from state and EU subsidies and to secure ir business liaisons to politicians of social Democratic governing party and directly to Office of Head of government Robert Fico to lock. This would give m access to state secrets. According to Kuciaks Research, Fico’s personal assistant Mária Trošková used to work for Italian entrepreneurs who were supposed to have been in sights of judiciary for mafia connections.
if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile4’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile4’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–4 ad-desktop–4-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-label’, ‘Anzeige’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-4’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile4’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 4 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile4’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile4’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–4 ad-mobile–4-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-4’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile4’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 4 mobile’) } } }
The cogoverning Hungarian-Slovak Reconciliation party most-hid (bridge) demanded political consequences on Wednesday. All decision-makers who have been suspected of mafia contacts should be relieved of ir functions until y have been fully enlightened. The opposition called for dismissal of interior minister and police president.
More journalist apparently threatened acutely
The Slovak police had already announced on Monday to cooperate closely with Italian authorities. There is also close cooperation with Czech police because a Czech journalist is considered acutely threatened. She had worked with Kuciak on Czech-Slovak part of so-called Panama Papers on money laundering in tax havens and how he researched mafia connections. In addition to corpses of murdered cartridges were left behind. This was interpreted as a warning signal to possible furr victims.
In circles of journalists, parallels were drawn to murder of Maltese Investigativjournalistin Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed on 16 October with a car bomb. Like Kuciak and his Czech colleague, who currently does not want to give interviews in view of her current threat situation, Galizia had also reported on Panama papers and researched in swamp of corrupt politicians and ‘ Ndrangheta ‘.
Oettinger said: “The independence of media must not be endangered.” It is a value for EU. Slovakia is not looking for a confrontation with Brussels. “But it is clear that re is a bad development that leading politicians in Slovakia are conducting a general media scolding. We observe this very vigilantly. “
