Slovakian Governor Kažimír convicted of bribery in fresh embarrassment for ECB

Peter Kažimír, governor of the Slovakian central bank and a close ally of Prime Minister Robert Fico, was convicted of bribery on Thursday and fined €200,000.

Kažimír had been charged with offering €48,000 in 2016 to František Imrecz, the former president of Slovakia’s Financial Administration, to speed up tax proceedings for companies owned by his acquaintance, Ladislav Rehák. Kažimír was Fico’s finance minister at the time.

The ruling confirms an earlier order by the court and doubles the fine imposed.

Kažimír, who has repeatedly failed to show up in court for the trial, has not commented but is expected to hold a press conference later, the newspaper SME reported. He is expected to appeal.

The news is a fresh blow to the image of the European Central Bank, which has been plagued by the financial improprieties of its Governing Council members over the years. Last year, Edward Scicluna, governor of the Central Bank of Malta, was forced to step down over allegations that he acquiesced to a corrupt hospital privatization deal while finance minister.