Slovakia’s Supreme Court found no evidence that the gunman who shot Prime Minister Robert Fico was directly connected to opposition parties, according to the written justification for its final judgment.
The 31-page ruling, obtained by the newspaper SME through a freedom of information request, brings the criminal case against Juraj Cintula to a definitive close. The court upheld his conviction for a terrorist attack and sentenced him to 21 years in prison on April 29. No further appeal is possible.
Cintula, a 73-year-old retiree from Levice, traveled to Handlová on May 15, 2024, intending to shoot and kill Fico after a government meeting, the court concluded.
He fired five shots from approximately 1.2 meters away. The first projectile entered the right side of Fico’s abdomen and traveled more than 30 centimeters, damaging sections of the small intestine and colon, tissue surrounding the bladder, the left hip socket and the head of the femur.
The court said Fico survived largely because the bullet narrowly missed major arteries that could have caused fatal internal bleeding.
Other shots caused injuries to his abdomen, left forearm and right foot.
Cintula denied intending to kill the prime minister, claiming that he merely wanted to injure him and remove him from office. The Supreme Court rejected that defense, ruling that death was prevented only by circumstances outside the attacker’s control.
The judges also upheld the classification of the attack as terrorism because Cintula intended to disrupt Slovakia’s constitutional order by forcibly removing the head of government.
Although a terrorist conviction would ordinarily carry a life sentence, the court reduced the punishment to 21 years after considering Cintula’s age, health and lack of previous convictions.
The ruling does not substantiate Fico’s repeated claims that the assassin had a direct connection to opposition parties.
Investigators confirmed only that Cintula sympathized with opposition movements and attended anti-government demonstrations. No evidence was presented showing that an opposition party directed, assisted, or coordinated the attack.
Fico had claimed in October 2024 that evidence pointed to Cintula’s direct connection with the opposition and suggested that the Slovak Information Service was investigating even more serious links.
However, no such evidence appeared during the criminal trial. Fico did not attend the hearings, and his legal representative did not request the introduction of evidence establishing an opposition connection. His testimony was provided through recordings with the authorities prior to the trial.
