One day they brought him handcuffed and in a hood, the next he was without it. We are talking about Zoltán Andruskó, the convicted intermediary in the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak, who after testifying about the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Tibor Gašpar (Smer) asked why his face was no longer covered and expressed concern for his life. Who decides whether a prisoner’s appearance is revealed to the public?
The Specialized Criminal Court (ŠTS) in Pezinok is hearing the case of the murder of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová for the third time. Marian Kočner and Alena Zsuzsová are facing charges from her order. They connected the process with the preparation of the liquidation of the prosecutors Maroš Žilinka, Petr Šufliarske and Daniel Lišpic, where, in addition to Kočner and Zsuzsová, Dušan Kracina and Darko Dragić are also defendants.
Andruskó was presented as a key witness, who is already serving a 15-year sentence behind bars, over three days from May 25 to 27. He always entered the courtroom surrounded by a large armed escort with his hands cuffed. On the first day, only his eyes and mouth were visible from under his hood. He took off his mask only after the president of the senate, Miroslav Mazúch, ordered the television cameras to be turned off and the witness sat facing the judges. Only Kočner, his lawyer Marek Para, judges and prosecutors could see his face as one of the few.
Photo: Robert Hüttner
Zoltán Andruskó Convicted Zoltán Andruskó appeared before the Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok on Monday.
During the first day, a passage from Andruskó’s testimony was surprising, in which he mentioned the current deputy speaker of the parliament and former former police president Tibor Gašpar (Smer). When he wanted to tell him through his acquaintance – a former policeman – what he knew about the murder of Hurbanov’s exponent László Basternák, Gašpar should have told him to keep his mouth shut because it would end the same way. In response, Gašpar called his claims a fabrication.
The next day, Andruskó walked past the journalists without his hood, which he also pointed out to the judges, saying that it was “rejected”. Since, according to his words, he always appeared at the hearings with his face covered, he could not explain why he did not get it this time, and whether it was “intimidation”. He expressed fear for his life several times during the three days.
Photo: Martin Martiš, Pravda
Zoltán Andruskó Zoltán Andruskó is brought to court on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
However, the media has already managed to capture the visage of the convicted broker. One example is the hearings in the tax case related to the Bonaparte apartment complex before the Senate of the City Court Bratislava I.
Who decides the hood
Why didn’t Andruskó appear in the Puciak vu kukle case, and who decides whether the prisoner gets it?
In this regard, Pravda turned to the Corps of Prison and Judicial Guards (ZVJS). As Katarína Bednárová from the Office of the General Director of the ZVJS explained, corps members can also use means to conceal a person’s physical identity. Such a means is understood as a hood and can be worn when escorting or showing off an accused or convicted person.
“The director of the institution or a member of the corps designated by him decides on the use. The initiative for use can also be given by the inmate himself, while the use of these means is the result of an individual assessment of the security risk by the staff,” Bednárová told Pravda.
The president of the senate decides whether the prisoner will be kept with the hood or ordered to remove it from his head before the court. “It is not possible to specify the specific reasons for their use or non-use for security reasons,” she added.
What Andruskó talked about on May 25 and 26
He began the part of the statement with Gašpar’s name on Monday by telling how he contacted his acquaintance in the past – a former policeman, to whom he was supposed to tell what he knew about the earlier murder of the former mayor of Hurbanov, László Basternák. At that time, he was already acquainted with Zsuzsová and therefore feared for his life. As is known, she was later legally sentenced to 21 years in prison for the liquidation of the former mayor.
The mentioned policeman should have contacted Gašpar right in front of Andruskó and arranged a meeting with him. The phone call was supposed to have taken place on the day he was appointed head of the police force (he was appointed in mid-May 2012). The officer allegedly returned from the meeting with Gašpar with a message to tell Andruskó to keep his mouth shut, because he will end up like Basternák.
Andruskó, after testifying about the deputy speaker of the parliament, mentioned in front of the senate on Tuesday that he was “shocked” when he learned how government politicians were confronted by the media with his testimony about Gašpar. He associates it with the absence of a hood, caution in further statements and nervousness. He also expressed doubt about the way journalists should report on what came out of his mouth. However, the chairman of the senate explained to him that the main hearing, unlike the preliminary proceedings, is in principle public and the presence of journalists is appropriate.
Kočner’s lawyer, Para, later pointed out that in the case of the “message from Bratislava” this is nothing new. The convict spoke about him already in May 2022, and with regard to the “nonsense” of his claims, the police did not even check it.
You can find more information about the details of the hearings in the articles below.
Read more He received a message from Gašpar. Andruskó disclosed the amount of the reward for the liquidation of Lipšice, but the priority was Žilinka. He also surprised the prosecutor with his statement 
Read more Andruskó is interested in a lie detector. He wants to cover the contradictions in the statements, he is untrustworthy, says Kočner’s lawyer
They are also supposed to escort him in July
According to the schedule of criminal hearings, the next hearing day at the ŠTS in Pezinok is scheduled for June 22, 2026. Other days – June 23 and 24, 2026.
The chairman of the senate has already announced that Andruskó should be escorted to the main hearing again in July. The remaining evidence will be conducted in the presence of the witness, and the plan is also to eliminate possible contradictions in his testimony.
