preložiť The decision on the fate of mafia boss Černák has been postponed. He acted with full knowledge. How he lives is up to him
On Wednesday, the Trnava District Court at its workplace in Piešťany began to decide again on the conditional release of Mikuláš Černák, who was sentenced to life imprisonment. After hearing experts, the panel adjourned the proceedings to 20 and 22 May.
Cernak will wait
The prosecutor of the Trnava District Prosecutor's Office has proposed to supplement the evidence with an updated evaluation of the convicted man, and has also proposed a new expert examination in the field of psychiatry. According to her, the original expert examined only the presence of psychosis.
In her opinion, the psychological assessment did not contain all the necessary elements. The defence considers these proposals to supplement the evidence to be superfluous.
The application for Černák's conditional release from prison was filed by the civil association Reštart-nový život (Restart-New Life). Černák requested at last May's public session that the decision on the motion for release be made on the basis that it was also his personal motion. He again regretted the acts committed.
The public meeting took place almost a year later. The adjournment was related to the need for further expert reports in the field of psychology and psychiatry.
Černák greeted journalists on Wednesday upon his arrival in the courtroom, but did not answer their questions.
Psychiatrist: He wasn't suffering from psychosis
The President of the Chamber informed that he had not granted the request of the defenders of the convicted person and the applicant for conditional release of Černák - the civic association Restart-New Life - to exclude the public for part of the familiarisation of the expert reports in the field of psychology and psychiatry.
Černák does not suffer and has not suffered in the past from any serious mental illness in the sense of psychosis. Ivan Dóci, an expert in psychiatry, said this at the court in Piešt'any on Wednesday during the hearing on the motion for Černák's conditional release from prison.
"From the psychiatric point of view, i.e. from the point of view of the presence or absence of a serious mental illness of psychosis, the convict is not dangerous for society. The convict is not currently suffering from, nor has he ever suffered from, a serious mental illness of psychosis and has never committed any crime under the influence of a serious mental illness of psychosis," the psychiatrist was quoted as saying in his report.
"It can be stated with certainty that the acts for which he was convicted were not committed under the influence of the serious mental illness of psychosis, but of his own volition," he added.
His words further indicate that there is a high probability of leading an orderly life in the case of Černák. The expert further clarified that there were no violations of the prison rules or other more serious offences by the convict during the execution of his sentence.
Psychologist: He has nowhere to go back to
For Černák, a positive assessment was presented not only by a psychiatrist, but also by a psychologist. According to him, he does not suffer from a personality disorder and there is a high probability that he will lead a proper life.
The psychologist assessed that the convict is a rational rather than an emotional type. On his eventual release, the convict has somewhere to go back to (home), he has something to do (he wants to have a pension), but how he will actually live is up to him.
"In some circumstances, every single one of us here is a murderer. Under certain circumstances," he said.
Mikuláš Černák prichádza na súd.
Susko: I believe the court will decide fairly
Slovak Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) hopes that the court will decide fairly and take into account all aspects, including the surviving victims of the acts committed by the former underworld boss. He said this before Wednesday's cabinet meeting.
"The court must evaluate everything that affects the decision, the weight of all the acts committed, how much time has passed since the acts, whether the convicted person can properly integrate into society and, of course, the impact of the decision on the survivors of the victims of the acts," Susko pointed out. If Černák is acquitted by the court, he does not think it will set a precedent.
"Conditional release is a standard institute of our legal system, but it should always be evaluated individually, depending on the specific case," the minister reminded.
What happened last year?
Last May, the public session was adjourned indefinitely due to the need for expert reports in the field of psychology and psychiatry. Towards the end of 2024, both expert reports were received by the court and in early January 2025 instructions were given to the court clerk to serve the expert reports on the litigants.
The petition for Černák's conditional release from prison was filed by the civic association Restart-New Life. Černák asked at last May's public session that the decision on the motion for release be made on the grounds that it was also his personal motion. He again regretted the acts committed.
The former boss of the Banská Bystrica underworld is serving a life sentence for his involvement in several murders. Convicts serving life sentences can apply for parole after 25 years in prison.
The story of the Slovak underworld boss of the 1990s has also received two film adaptations with the titles Miki (2024) and Černák (2025).