Slovak police renew bribery cost towards central financial institution governor Kazimir

(Reuters) -Slovak police have resurrected a bribery cost towards Slovak central financial institution Governor and European Central Financial institution policymaker Peter Kazimir, his lawyer mentioned on Thursday, whereas Kazimir referred to as the allegation a lie.

Prosecutors had beforehand dropped the cost over the alleged bribe, which dates again to when Kazimir was a finance minister in a previous authorities.

“The (police unit) NAKA charged Mr. Kazimir for principally the identical act as he was indicted for a yr in the past,” Kazimir’s lawyer, Ondrej Mularcik, mentioned.

“In our opinion, this doesn’t respect the authorized opinion of the prosecutor common,” he mentioned. “We are going to file a grievance towards it inside the authorized time restrict. The governor doesn’t really feel responsible, he has not dedicated any legal offence.”

In October 2021, the euro zone nation’s Particular Prosecutor’s workplace charged Kazimir with a “corruption-related crime”. It dropped the cost in June, whereas additionally telling prosecutors to evaluate the case. The police didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Kazimir was finance minister from 2012 till 2019, nominated by the leftist SMER occasion.

Slovak information web site aktuality.sk reported final yr when costs have been first introduced that Kazimir was a “courier” who introduced an round 50,000 euro bribe to the then-chief of the nation’s tax administration.

Kazimir denied the cost once more on Thursday.

“The accusation that I ought to have bribed a senior (tax) official is an absolute lie,” he mentioned in a press release from the Nationwide Financial institution of Slovakia. “I’ve not dedicated any crime.”

SMER was knocked out of presidency in 2020 by a coalition of events promising to wash up corruption.

Beneath Slovak legislation, the central financial institution chief is appointed by the president after being nominated by the federal government and authorized by parliament, and could be dismissed if she or he stops assembly standards which embrace a clear legal document.

ECB Governing Council members could be eliminated if they’ve been discovered responsible of great misconduct or authorities present adequate proof that they’ve engaged in such misconduct.

The ECB declined to remark.

In 2018, Latvia barred its central financial institution governor from workplace and prevented him from collaborating in ECB conferences after he was accused by its public prosecutor of taking a bribe, an accusation the governor denied.