Slovak Police Officer Faces Trial Alone After Being Charged Alongside Former Officials

A Slovak police officer will stand trial alone after being charged alongside former police chief Tibor Gašpar and businessman Norbert Bödör. The case involves communications about the officer that were exchanged between convicted oligarch Marián Kočner and Bödör through the encrypted messaging app Threema. Kočner, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for ordering the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak in 2018, had extensive communications with various officials and businesspeople that became evidence in multiple corruption investigations. The separate trial suggests that while the officer was initially charged as part of a broader case involving high-level figures, procedural or legal factors have led to his case being handled independently.