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Hanzel Files Criminal Complaint Concerning Threatening Email
Tuesday 25 May 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, May 25 (TASR) - Businessman and former Smer-SD MP Bohumil Hanzel, who recently went public with allegations of shady financing practices in the past of now-strongest Smer-SD party, on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint to the Prosecutor's Office vis-a-vis an email he received in which someone threatened him with death.
Hanzel said he was confident that the threat came upon his revelations concerning party sponsors, as the email (received on May 19) mentions it.
The businessman, whose business career blossomed while an emigre living in Sweden, said he has no idea as to who could be the sender of the email. He claims that he's not aware of having any apparent enemies.
According to Hanzel, the email warns him that he'd better "shut up", or he may well "go down the drink". The author of the email also wrote that Hanzel's business success was only based on his party membership (he was number 8 on Smer's slate in 2002 election - ed. note), the statement that Hanzel calls nonsense, saying that he was into business for 20 years, while Smer-SD has only a 10-year history.
"I have to take the threat seriously, because my wife is nervous, and my kids keep calling me from Sweden, asking me if I don't think I'm in danger," said Hanzel, who said he regrets nothing he said in relation to the scandalous case of party sponsorships. "Everything I said is true," he said.
Hanzel, 61, who parted ways with the party in 2006, told SME daily last week that he has seen a notary-authenticated copy of an agreement between Smer and five sponsors concerning specified places on the Smer election slate. He also said that he in person attended many meetings with sponsors who provided some Sk60 million (€1.99 million) to the party in 2000-02. Smer-SD chairman (and now Prime Minister) Robert Fico is also said to have solicited sponsors for the party.
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