BRATISLAVA – Slovakia’s Supreme Court has closed the case against Robert Fico’s would-be assassin without finding any link between the gunman and the political opposition.

In May 2024, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot five times after a government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlová – the first serious assassination attempt on a sitting European political leader in more than two decades.

The court’s reasoning makes no mention of an opposition link, despite Fico’s repeated claims that Cintula was connected to his political opponents. Instead, it found that Cintula acted alone, driven by opposition to government policy and intent on removing Fico from office, with no evidence of outside involvement.

Fico has repeatedly portrayed the attack as evidence of a hateful and radicalised opposition – a narrative used to defend measures that have alarmed EU institutions and civil society groups.

These included a so-called foreign agents law targeting NGOs, an overhaul of public broadcaster RTVS criticised for weakening its independence, and mounting pressure on independent media.

Fico maintained the narrative even after the verdict was delivered in April, telling reporters the opposition was “raising new terrorists” and that his opponents, rather than Cintula, should have been on trial.

Police had investigated whether Cintula had ties to the pro-EU liberal opposition Demokrati party after Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák publicly suggested such a connection. No evidence was produced, and prosecutors ultimately charged only Cintula.

Slovakia’s relations with Brussels remain strained over rule-of-law concerns, with the Commission scrutinising reforms affecting criminal justice, media independence, civil society and checks and balances, while infringement proceedings remain open over changes Brussels says conflict with EU law.

(cs)