Ex-minister Pociatek Sees Charges Against Him Dropped Due to New Penal Code

Bratislava, January 21 (TASR) - The Zilina Reginal Prosecutor's Office dropped charges of aggravated violation of duties in the governance of entrusted property against ex-finance minister Jan Pociatek in the Lemikon case, due to shorter statutes of limitations introduced by last year's Penal Code amendment, Zilina Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Martin Kokles confirmed to TASR on Tuesday. It was Aktuality.sk that broke the news first. The charges were dropped on December 11, 2024. The Lemikon case concerned a dispute between a letterbox company called Lemikon Limited and state lottery organiser Tipos over €33 million. Back in 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Lemikon and then-finance minister Pociatek decided to settle the dispute with an agreement to pay Lemikon €66.39 million. Tipos subsequently attempted to change tack and stake a retroactive claim to the first paid tranche worth €16 million. In August 2019, the Supreme Court handed down a verdict in Tipos' favour. The case later came into the spotlight again once a video was leaked, recorded secretly at the Prosecutor-General's office, in which Pociatek had asked then-prosecutor-general Dobroslav Trnka for support in the Lemikon case. mf/mcs