One of the most prominent cases associated with the so-called war in the police ended without further prosecution. The investigation of the Unraveling case was legally stopped, which definitively ended the case from the procedural point of view. This is a case in which former SIS director Vladimír Pčolinský, his successor Michal Aláč, NBU director Roman Konečný, businessman Peter Košč, also known as Mr. X, and other persons were originally accused in 2023.
The case concerned suspicions of the existence of an alleged criminal group that was supposed to interfere in the investigation of serious cases and at the same time discredit the policemen referred to as the Čurillos. It was in connection with this case that Ján Čurilla and several of his colleagues obtained the status of protected whistleblowers.
The case began to disintegrate procedurally as early as February 2024. At that time, the General Prosecutor’s Office dropped the charges against former SIS member Martin Ciriak and later through § 363 also dropped the charges against Vladimír Pčolinski, to Roman Konečný and Michal Aláč. Subsequently, the prosecution of Petr Košč and Ján Kalavský was also stopped. In the end, the police only continued the investigation “in the case”, i.e. without specific accused persons. This last part of the case was also stopped these days.
The decision of the ÚBOK investigator was issued in the “Restricted” secrecy mode. It means that the actors of the proceedings will not receive the resolution in the usual way and can familiarize themselves with it only in a protected area. The police bureau said that the investigator made the decision after an extensive investigation, and at the direction of the supervising prosecutor, the decision is covered by the statutory protection of classified facts.
The reason for the secrecy was probably not the conclusion to stop the investigation itself, but rather its justification. Due to the nature of the case, it could contain information that is subject to a special protection regime. The case concerned persons working in important security positions, including two former directors of the Slovak Information Service and the head of the National Security Office. With such type of persons and institutions, it can be expected that part of the factual circumstances, operational knowledge or service context cannot be made publicly available.
From a legal point of view, it is important that the Rozuzlenie case no longer continues either as a criminal prosecution of specific persons or as an investigation into the matter. From a media and political point of view, this is the definitive end of one of the most prominent cases connected with the so-called war in the police.
The fact that the Unraveling case was finally stopped, for Aktuality.sk confirmed former NAKA investigator Štefan Mašín. In the case, he also acted as one of the whistleblowers, or injured parties.
“The investigator only sent us a notification about the issuance of a resolution on the suspension of criminal prosecution, in which he informed us that the resolution itself was issued under the level of secrecy reserved,” said Mašín.
In practice, this means that the police officers will not physically receive the resolution. The former investigator added that he had never encountered such a procedure during his previous practice. He has not experienced a situation in which the entire merits decision in a criminal case would be issued in the “Reserved” mode. Together with his colleagues, he therefore decided to question the investigator’s procedure.
The mere termination of the criminal prosecution does not mean that the police officers known as Čurillos lose their status as protected whistleblowers of anti-social activity. As Mašín added, this protection remains for them for three years after the legal end of the case.
Vladimír Pčolinský stated on the social network that he learned about the end of the case from the media. According to him, the whole case was mainly intended to serve as a line of defense for the Čuril family members in their own criminal case and at the same time create pressure for changes in the management of the SIS and the NBU. The procedure of the state authorities was thus supposed to negatively affect the functioning of these institutions and damage their position.
“The Unraveling case was supposed to be a case that was supposed to reveal manipulation in the state. But in the end it revealed the political and mental misery of the top state representation at the time, the incompetence and exemplary dullness of the leadership of the Police Corps and the ÚŠP in August 2023,” said the former head of SIS.
The case was also supposed to enable several persons to obtain the status of protected whistleblowers, which, according to Pčolinski, helped them retain their positions and obtain personal benefits. At the same time, the General Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that the way of conducting the criminal prosecution can act as a manipulation of the criminal proceedings.
At the same time, according to Pčolinski, it raises the question of who will bear responsibility for the damages caused by an illegal accusation, if it turns out that it should never have arisen.
