Bungled Burglary Behind Valko’s Murder?

It is two years ago today that prominent and highly respected lawyer Ernest Valko was shot in the heart at point blank range in his home near Bratislava, and now interior minister Robert Kalinak says he is sure the case will be resolved, with a common burglary looking set to be hailed as the motive for Valko’s execution.

Former police commissioner Jaroslav Spisiak already pointed to the possibility that Valko’s killing could have been part of a burglary, citing a string of burglaries in the area showing similar traits. SME daily reports how both Valko and his neighbour had been burgled in the months before the murder, for instance. Another argument is that the 9mm murder weapon is also not the kind of gun a hired killer would use.

Ernest Valko (1953-2010) (c) The Daily.SK

Several people have since been arrested for organised burglaries, and there are speculations that the killer could be among the accused, or already sitting behind bars as SME daily reports that three of the perpetrators are in jail. No murder charges have been put on anyone yet, though.

Minister Kalinak was brief in his explanation of how the investigation has progressed, while there were calls from the Attorney General’s Office for the media not to publish sensational news from unacknowledged sources and so thwart the investigation into what it referred to as “several suspects”.

Many people accepted automatically that the motive for Valko’s murder was probably linked to his involvement in some important big cases involving big money claims, but more and more it looks like his death will be put down to a mere bungled burglary.

4 Comments

  1. The AGO asks the media not to publish “sentational news” but they do it anyway – no press code in the SVK?
    Assassin would’nt use a 9mm? most probably the most common calibre hand gun in the world – what do they expect, a hand crafted “golden gun” – me thinks the Jackal and James Bond are compulsory reading at the academy!
    “string of burglaries in the area” – where was the surveillance, increased patrols, etc or are we not up to the page about pro-active policing yet?
    “Maybe it’s one of the scroats already in custody” – strikes me as a hope- clutching at straws, rather than deductive reasoning.
    It all seems a tad too convenient to me, a lawyer who handled high profile cases involving corruption and organised crime gets iced and we now have a theory that it was a bungled house raid – Nah! don’t buy it. I hope the police continue their investigations and that the media understands its responsibilities in such matters.

  2. Valko was protecting SVK’s interests in big money cases. He was refusing any bodyguards or police protection.
    If he was assasinated the order would come from abroad and then yes – the SVK police isn’t capable of finding out who it was.

  3. ~~~there were calls from the Attorney General’s Office for the media not to publish sensational news from unacknowledged sources and so thwart the investigation into what it referred to as “several suspects”. ~~

    In other words, we don`t really know who did it , so we are bludgeoning and abusing some patsy currently in jail, until he gives up, or gives up the name of whom may have done it ? QED, after TWO years, they will never find out as it is never a Slowvaks fault and they will never admit they have done any wrong …so the accused will of course, blame someone else, who will never admit to be at fault and they will never admit they have done any wrong etc etc etc ….

  4. Bungled burglary!!! yeah that’s what they would like us to believe…
    Its Bratislava not the Bronx ……

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