Slovak Businessman Faces Fresh Trial Over Journalist’s Killing

Slovakia has ordered a fresh trial for businessman Marian Kocner, accused of masterminding the assassination of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova, who were shot dead at their home in February 2018.

Kuciak, 27, had reported extensively on corruption, financial crimes, and alleged links between Kocner and senior politicians. His final article, published after his death, detailed alleged ties between the Italian mafia and the government of then-Prime Minister Robert Fico.

The killings triggered Slovakia’s largest street protests since the fall of communism, which forced Fico’s government to resign, though he returned to power in 2023.

Kocner, accused of ordering the murders, was previously acquitted, but Slovakia’s Supreme Court annulled the verdict twice, citing improper handling of the case. The retrial is scheduled to begin on January 26, and will be heard by a new panel of judges, according to the family’s lawyer, Peter Kubina.

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