Bratislava, Feb 27 (CTK) – Jan Kuciak, a recently killed Slovak journalist, investigated the activities of the people close to the Italian ‘Ndrangheta in Slovakia and their ties to Maria Troskova, a current assistant of Prime Minister Robert Fico, daily Sme writes today.
On Monday, investigative journalist Tom Nicholson said he had discussed the abuse of EU money, probably by Italian mafia in eastern Slovakia, with Kuciak.
Troskova established the private firm GIA Management along with businessman of Italian origin Antonino Vadala, Sme writes.
‘Ndrangheta used him for the transfer of goods. The person with the same name and date of birth as Vadala was mentioned in the warrant of arrest issued by the Italian police.
However, the investigation relating to Vadala himself was halted over lack of evidence.
The Slovak Government Office has not comment on the information.
Troskova works as the chief adviser at the Government Office.
Later, the company GIA Management was gained by a different businessman, named Pietro Catroppa, whose firm Prodest was monitored by the Slovak secret service SIS, Sme writes.
Last year, a Bratislava court allowed the wiretapping of Prodest. Viliam Jasan, a former deputy of Fico’s Smer-Social Democracy and secretary of the national security council, was its business partner.
The business ties between Troskova, Jasan and Vadala was already described by the Slovak weekly Plus 7 dni in 2016. Its former reporter Ivan Mego now confirmed that he had passed the topic of ‘Ndrangheta to Kuciak, because the publishing house did not enable the publication of the gained information to him.
The editor-in-chief of the portal Aktuality.sk, Peter Bardy, for which Kuciak worked, said the article on which he had worked would be published.
According to the portal postoj.sk, a network of firms with Italian Mafia in the background are operating in eastern Slovakia. They have drawn millions of euros from European funds on agriculture.