In the wake of Ernest Valko’s assassination, media reports are coming in from people who knew and worked with the Bratislava lawyer.
Former head of Bar Association Andrew Mularcik is shocked by the murder of Ernest Valko, “It’s a big loss for Slovak advocacy. If it was in connection with his work, then it is a disaster. It is a huge shock for me, we were very close.”
“It is a huge tragedy. When it comes to an act of violence, which relates to his lawyer’s business, I cannot imagine where this country goes from here,” remarked well-known Bratislava lawyer Peter Filip.
“This is a serious problem. The protection of lawyers, judges, prosecutors is probably not at the level it should be, we need to prevent this sort of thing” said another lawyer Peter Schmidl, who had known Ernest Valko since childhood.
Security analyst Milan Rye commented that banditry used to settle disputes, usually seen in the Balkans and in Russia, is still a dark force present in modern EU member state Slovakia.
Is this something post-communist states like Slovakia have to accept even though they have been communist-free for over two decades?
What will the repercussions be, if any, for Slovakia’s politicians and lawyers regarding security?