Investigation dropped in Hedvig Malina case

The Győr-Moson-Sopron County prosecutor’s office has dropped an investigation and criminal proceedings in a case initiated by Slovak authorities against Hedvig Malina Zsák for alleged perjury and other crimes, the chief prosecutor of Győr-Moson-Sopron County said on Thursday.

Based on available data and physical evidence it is not possible to establish that Malina Zsák was not attacked and to draw the conclusion that she made a false statement, Péter Takács said. Even if the investigation continues no further outcome can be expected, he added.

The criminal proceedings have been discontinued because it is “the only reasonable and legal solution”, the statement showed.

Malina suffered a beating by two skinheads in the town of Nitra (Nyitra) in Slovakia in August 2006 — allegedly due to her ethnicity. Later on, she was charged with providing false testimony.

Malina, who was a 23-year-old student at the time of the incident, took her case to the European Court of Human Rights in November 2007.

The Strasbourg court approved a Slovak government apology in November 2011. Two months later the Slovak government expressed regret over the case.

The prosecutor’s office, however, has continued investigation on the ground of false testimony.

Malina moved to Hungary with her family and she received Hungarian citizenship at the end of 2013.

In April 2014, the Slovak attorney general charged her with perjury.

In 2106, she asked for her case to be taken over by Hungarian authorities.

Source: MTI