Shocking news about journalist's murder in Slovakia

A Slovakian journalist specializing in investigating economic crimes has been brutally murdered along with his girlfriend at their home. Police believe the incident is related to the journalist's series of investigative reports on corruption.

Slovak police said they found the bodies of Jan Kuciak, a 27-year-old reporter for the website altuality.sk, and his girlfriend at their home near the capital Bratislava on the evening of February 25, after the girlfriend’s family couldn’t find her and called the police. Initial examination of the scene showed both had gunshot wounds to the chest and head.

According to the Slovak press, Kuciak previously wrote investigative reports on tax fraud and corruption among prominent Slovak businessmen, some of whom had close ties to a number of politicians from the ruling Social Democratic Party (Smer).

The latest article, published on February 9, investigates transactions of companies linked to businessman Marian Kocner and the five-star luxury apartment complex in Bratislava, which was at the center of a political scandal last year.

Police have theorized that the murder may be linked to Kuciak's investigative reporting. Meanwhile, businessman Kocner, who had threatened Kuciak, has denied any involvement in the murder.

Prime Minister Robert Fico convened an emergency meeting with the heads of the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Police General Directorate and the National Intelligence Service to urgently investigate the incident. He condemned the murder and offered a reward of 1 million euros for information leading to the prosecution of the criminals.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmerman said he was shocked by the murder and called for justice to be done. Meanwhile, Slovak newspaper editors issued a statement asking the government to clarify the case and help protect journalists while doing their work./.

PV