Tycoon cleared of murdering Slovak journalist Kuciak and fiancée

A courtroom has discovered businessman Marian Kocner not responsible of ordering the killing of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, in an assault that rocked Slovakia.

The murders triggered mass protests, resulting in the downfall of populist PM Robert Fico’s authorities.

One other man has been jailed for 25 years for collaborating within the homicide.

However judges discovered that prosecutors had didn’t show Mr Kocner and a 3rd defendant had ordered the killings.

Their acquittals had been introduced by the courtroom in Pezinok, north of the capital Bratislava.

Prosecutors are more likely to enchantment in opposition to the decision, which got here as a shock, studies BBC correspondent Rob Cameron.

Jan Kuciak and fiancée Martina Kusnirova had been shot useless in his home close to Bratislava on 21 February 2018, within the first such focused killing of a journalist in Slovak historical past. They had been each 27.

In April, former soldier Miroslav Marcek was jailed for 23 years after admitting to finishing up the killings and one other suspect was jailed for facilitating the assault.

Kuciak labored for aktuality.sk as an investigative reporter. He wrote about corrupt businessmen in Slovakia, EU subsidy and VAT fraud, in addition to Italy’s infamous ’Ndrangheta mafia and its makes an attempt to domesticate relationships with Slovak politicians.

Mr Kocner featured prominently in Kuciak’s articles. Prosecutors mentioned Mr Kocner had ordered the assault however he at all times denied involvement. An acquaintance of Mr Kocner, Alena Zsuzsova, was additionally acquitted.