Ruling orders return of seized devices after warning proposed examination risked becoming a ‘fishing expedition’.
A prosecutor has blocked an attempt by the police inspectorate to examine the mobile phones of a group of investigators and a prosecutor at the centre of one of the country’s most bitter law enforcement disputes, warning that it risked becoming an unlawful search for evidence, according to SME.
The police inspectorate, a division under the Interior Ministry led by Hlas party leader Matúš Šutaj Eštok, investigates alleged misconduct by police officers.
The decision represents a setback for the inspectorate’s investigation known as Kajúcnik (Penitent), a politically charged case from March 2026 alleging that officers linked to investigator Ján Čurilla coerced suspects into cooperating with prosecutors and manipulated witness testimony.
Instead of seeking court approval to access the devices, the inspectorate’s Veritas team must return the seized phones to their owners after supervising prosecutor Dalibor Považan refused to endorse the proposal.
