Cynthia Ezegwu
The alleged mastermind behind the 2018 murder of Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kusnirova, will be retried next year, the victims’ family lawyer said on Wednesday.
Businessman Marian Kocner is accused of ordering the killing of Kuciak, 27, and Kusnirova, who were shot dead at their home in the village of Velka Maca in February 2018.
Kuciak had published several reports exposing alleged corruption and questionable dealings linked to Kocner, who was known for his close ties to senior political figures. In his final article, published after his death, Kuciak detailed alleged connections between the Italian mafia and the government of then-prime minister Robert Fico.
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The double murder triggered the largest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism and forced Fico to resign, though he later returned to power in 2023.
Slovakia’s Supreme Court has twice annulled Kocner’s acquittal. The retrial, scheduled to begin on January 26, 2026, will be conducted before a new panel of judges, the family’s lawyer, Peter Kubina, confirmed.