The incident is said to have occurred during his time as Minister of Finance of Slovakia.
(Photo: Reuters)
Prague The head of the Slovak central bank and ECB council member Peter Kazimir has been charged with bribery. Kazimir denied the allegations on Tuesday. His lawyer Ondrej Mularcik told Reuters that Kazimir would appeal the decision. According to a media report, the case has to do with Kazimir’s previous job as Slovakia’s finance minister, which he held from 2012 to 2019.
“I am not guilty of any crime,” wrote Kazimir in a statement sent via email. The state of affairs was untrue and the reasoning was lacking evidence, he said. “I have neither any information, nor am I aware of a violation of the law, nor have I ever had an interest in influencing a procedure.”
His lawyer said Kazimir had been charged with a crime of up to five years in prison under the Slovak Criminal Code. However, he did not provide any details about the charges.
The Slovak news website www.aktuality.sk wrote, citing several unnamed insiders, that Kazimir had been charged in connection with alleged bribery of the former head of the Slovak tax administration. This is now working with the prosecutors.
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According to the report, Kazimir is said to have brought him a bribe of 50,000 euros as a courier in connection with an unknown tax procedure. The report did not reveal who the money came from.
Initially, no comment was received from the Slovak public prosecutor’s office or the government. The local central bank did not want to comment beyond the statement made by Kazimir himself. The European Central Bank (ECB) declined to comment.
Kazimir’s contract with the Slovak central bank runs until 2025. Members of the Governing Council can be removed from office if they have been found guilty of serious misconduct or if the authorities provide sufficient evidence that such misconduct has been committed. In Slovakia, numerous investigations have been conducted against holders of public office on suspicion of corruption in recent years.
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