Justice and police in Slovakia have filed charges against four suspects nearly two years after the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée. The suspects include a businessman believed to have ordered the killings and three others who carried out the murders. One of the suspects has confessed and testified against the others.
Slovak investigative journalist Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova were shot dead in their home on February 21, 2018. Kuciak had been investigating links between politicians, businesses, and organized crime.
His research, published posthumously, revealed connections between the Italian mafia and Slovak government officials, triggering mass protests against corruption and the misuse of EU funds. As a result, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico resigned.
In recent months, more details from the investigations have emerged, causing other politicians and corrupt officials in the judiciary and police to also step down. They were allegedly bribed by the man suspected of ordering Kuciak's murder.
The businessman, originally arrested on suspicion of fraud, reportedly collected recordings of conversations and other incriminating material involving politicians, entrepreneurs, and representatives of the judiciary to blackmail them later.