Kočner Changes Details in Murder Trial Testimony, Raising Questions About Credibility

Marian Kočner has begun testifying in his own defense during the retrial for the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. The controversial businessman is providing testimony that differs from his previous statements, changing details about his relationship with key figure Peter Tóth and about screening journalists. These inconsistencies in his testimony may provide prosecutors with evidence that Kočner is lying, potentially undermining his defense in one of Slovakia's most closely watched criminal cases. The murders of Kuciak, an investigative journalist who reported on corruption, and Kušnírová in 2018 sparked mass protests that ultimately led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Robert Fico and triggered a political crisis in Slovakia.