The three-year process in the Mýtnik case, which concerns overpriced IT tenders for financial administration (FS) between 2013 and 2018, is at an end. At the Specialized Criminal Court (ŠTS), Banská Bystrica workplace, the closing arguments of the defense attorneys of the six defendants were heard on Tuesday. In January of next year, the ŠTS has scheduled further hearing days, when the defendants will be able to speak.
- The trial in the case of the publican, which lasted three years, is coming to an end.
- The defense attorneys propose acquitting the defendants.
- The specialized criminal court is awaiting the final statements of the defendants.
- The defendants face charges including bribery and other crimes.
- The prosecutor requests non-parole and parole sentences for the defendants.
Indictment for breach of duty in the management of foreign property, machination in public procurement and public auctionthe legalization of proceeds from criminal activity and the crime of accepting a bribe are faced by businessman Jozef Brhel, his son Jozef Brhel Jr., lawyer Martin Bahleda, former representative of FS Milan G., former state secretary of the Ministry of Finance Radko K. and businessman Miroslav S. They deny the guilt and ask for acquittal.
On Tuesday, the defense attorneys of businessman Jozef Brhel and his son continued their closing arguments, which they started on Monday (December 15). Michal Mandzák highlighted the aspect of “buying with penitents”, who are supposed to convict their clients. He pointed out that despite the fact that his clients deny criminal activity, immediately after the indictment they proceeded to release 2.1 million euros to the state pending a decision in this court. The penitents did not act this way.
“In the case of Jozef Brhel, Jozef Brhel Jr. and Martin Bahled, we demand a full acquittal. Alternatively, in the case of Jozef B. Sr., an acquittal on the grounds that he was deprived of his basic rights, that is, the right to study the file, because he was unable to work.” stated Mandzák, who at the hearing pointed out the circumstances of the preliminary proceedings, which should have been characterized by a serious violation of the rights of Jozef B.
Defense attorney Ľudovít Štanglovič, with whom they alternated in the closing argument, recalled the illegal expert opinion of the Institute of Forensic Engineering (ÚSI) in Žilina, on which the prosecution relied when determining the amount of damage. The Ministry of Justice noted serious errors in its preparation. ÚSI received a sanction for this, which it did not contest. The prosecution relied on it for its claim that the information systems procured by FS were overpriced by more than 45 million euros. Prosecutor Ondrej Repa only dropped the sum to “minimum 650,000 euros” in his closing speech.
“The indictment is unfounded. The court should have stopped the prosecution a long time ago. It emerged from the evidence that the state was not harmed. Criminal liability was not fulfilled,” Mandzák stated that the information systems were not overpriced and that Jozef Brhel and other persons were in custody illegally. As Milan G. Ľubomír Havlík responded, the indictment is full of lies and half-truths. They do not understand at all why they are sitting in court. Milan G. was in custody for half a year.
“There has been no evidence of any specific conduct by which my client breached any duty or caused harm. From the time of the indictment until now, we do not know what my client is being prosecuted for. Not a single specific proceeding was named, neither in the resolution on bringing charges, nor in the filed indictment, nor in the closing speech of the prosecutor,” emphasized Havlík.
The prosecutor proposes an unconditional sentence in the lower half of the sentence for Jozef Brhel, as well as for his son and Martin Bahleda. The other three defendants, Radek K., Milan G. and Miroslav S., are proposed to be given suspended sentences. He proposed imposing adequate monetary penalties on all the defendants according to their financial circumstances.
