Trial of Ex-minister Gabor G. Starts at Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok

Pezinok, February 25 (TASR) - The main trial of ex-justice minister Gabor G., who faces charges of accepting a bribe, started at the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Pezinok (Bratislava region) on Tuesday morning. The case is related to the running of the Slovak Land Fund. According to the indictment, Gabor G. requested and accepted a bribe of €50,000 in 2018. The defendant has pleaded not guilty. The trial should continue on Wednesday (February 26), when witnesses should appear. Both the defendant and prosecutor have rejected plea-bargaining. Gabor G.'s lawyer views the indictment as unfounded. "The [charges] have been formulated in a vague and incomprehensible manner. At the same time, they are based on the testimony of witnesses who were being criminally prosecuted, so their statements may have been influenced by this fact," said the lawyer. Prosecutor Matej Izakovic said that the defendant could be sentenced to one to five years in prison. "The bribe was allegedly given in exchange for the defendant ensuring that decision-making processes at the Slovak Land Fund would be unblocked. These processes had been blocked at that time due to the political situation there," he told journalists. According to the ex-justice minister, the activities as described in the indictment have been fabricated. He refused to testify on Tuesday, and will only do so only after the witnesses have provided their testimonies. An investigator of the National Crime Agency charged Gabor G. with accepting a bribe in 2022. ko/df