Slovak court acquits businessman in retrial over 2018 murder of journalist

By KAREL JANICEK
Associated Press

PRAGUE (AP) — A court in Slovakia has acquitted for a second time a businessman accused of masterminding the 2018 slaying of an investigative journalist and his fiancée. The Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok, near the capital, Bratislava, which handles Slovakia’s most serious cases, ruled on Friday that Marian Kocner was not guilty of murdering Jan Kuciak, who had written about him in the past, and Martina Kusnirova. The crime shocked the country and caused the government to fall. However, Kocner’s associate, Alena Zsuzsova, was convicted of her role in the killings and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The case is not over yet as both the prosecution and the defendants can appeal.