The head of Slovakia’s central financial institution, who’s a member of the European Central Bank committee that decides financial coverage for 20 international locations, was convicted on Thursday of bribery and fined 100,000 euros (£88,328).

The nation’s Special Criminal Court handed National Bank of Slovakia governor Peter Kazimir a two-year suspended sentence, stated Katarina Kudjakova, a spokesperson for the courtroom. Not paying the nice would imply jail time.

The verdict was issued and not using a trial, nonetheless, and the state prosecution service appealed towards it shortly afterwards, sending the case again to courtroom. Kazimir additionally might attraction.

Kazimir is accused of handing a bribe of 48,000 euros (£42,397) to the pinnacle of the nation’s tax workplace associated to a tax investigation of personal firms, however few particulars had been accessible as a result of there was no trial.

Kazimir didn’t instantly remark, however he beforehand denied any wrongdoing.

President Zuzana Caputova stated Kazimir ought to contemplate resigning, and Prime Minister Eduard Heger known as it “unacceptable” for him to move the central financial institution.

Slovakia is one among 20 international locations that use the euro foreign money, and Kazimir is a member of the European Central Bank’s governing council, its primary decision-making physique.

The case dates to when Kazimir served as finance minister from 2012 to 2019 within the leftist authorities of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico and was a member of Fico’s Smer-Social Democracy get together earlier than taking up his central financial institution job.

Smer misplaced the 2020 common election and was changed by a coalition authorities whose events campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket.

The new authorities made combating corruption a key coverage problem. Since it took energy, plenty of senior officers, law enforcement officials, judges, prosecutors, politicians and businesspeople have been charged with corruption and different crimes.

Slovakia faces an early election in September after the federal government misplaced a parliamentary no-confidence vote in December.

Mr Fico, who not like the present authorities opposes army assist for Ukraine towards Russia, stands an opportunity to win the snap vote, latest polls instructed.