Court: Ex-TV Markiza Owner Pavol R. Acquitted of Charges in Beacon of Hope Case

Bratislava, March 5 (TASR) - The Bratislava I City Court Senate acquitted former economy minister and former owner of television channlel Markiza, Pavol R., on Wednesday of charges of subsidy fraud in a case involving the non-profit organisation called Beacon of Hope, ruling that the act in question wasn't a criminal offense, while the prosecutor appealed the decision, and the victims, who were referred to civil court for compensation claims, reserved the right to file an appeal, which will be reviewed by the Bratislava Regional Court. The Bratislava I City Court had to make a new ruling on Wednesday after the Bratislava Regional Court overturned its previous verdict in October of last year, which had found Pavol R. guilty of the continuing criminal offense of subsidy fraud in the case involving the non-profit organisation Beacon of Hope. The verdict was overturned due to insufficient evidence and because the lower court didn't adequately address the defence. According to the indictment, as head of the non-profit Beacon of Hope, Pavol R. chose to finance a Romeo and Juliet musical in 2015 with money tied to the activities of an asylum centre. The sum was supposed to stand north of €100,000. The defendant claims this is a lie and rejects any guilt. Pavol R. had previously been legally sentenced to 19 years in prison for a case involving the counterfeiting of TV Markiza's promissory notes. lin