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October 1, 2018updated 30 Sep 2022 6:53am

Contract to kill Slovakian investigative journalist was worth £63,000, prosecutor claims

By Freddy Mayhew

A total sum of €70,000 (£63,000) was paid for the contract killings of a Slovak investigative journalist and his fiancee, a prosecutor has said.

The prosecutor, who was not named, told a news conference in Bratislava today that €50,000 was paid and the remaining €20,000 was a forgiven debt.

Special prosecutors, who deal with the most serious crimes, are never identified, for their own protection.

Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova (pictured) were shot dead in their home on 21 February.

Slovak authorities said they believed it was a contract killing linked to Kuciak’s work. He was investigating possible widespread government corruption and ties between Slovak politicians and Italian mobsters.

The killings triggered a political crisis that resulted in major protests, the dismissal of the national police chief and the government’s collapse.

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