Slovak Judge Releases Two Former Police Officers, Warns Against Criminalizing Standard Procedures

A Bratislava court judge released two former police officers from custody after a prosecutor filed detention requests with the wrong court. Judge Tomáš Hajduk from Bratislava Municipal Court I dismissed detention motions against Ján Čurilla and Pavel Ďurka, both former members of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA), Slovakia's elite police unit that handles major crimes and corruption cases. The men were freed three days after their initial arrest when prosecutor Michal Žeňuch from Trnava filed the detention request with an incorrect court that lacked jurisdiction over the case. Judge Hajduk warned against the criminalization of established police procedures, suggesting the charges may target routine investigative methods rather than actual criminal conduct.