Former Top Judge for Czechoslovakian Court Is Shot and Killed
The former chief judge of Czechoslovakia’s Constitutional Court has been shot and killed.
Ernest Valko was found dead in his home by his former wife and daughter, who were worried when he didn’t answer phone calls, the Associated Press reports.
Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic said it was not clear whether the slaying was related to Valko’s legal practice. A police unit that deals with organized crime is investigating.
Valko started his own law firm specializing in constitutional law after the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Slovak Spectator reports. He has represented the Slovak government, the National Property Fund that oversaw state property privatization, and a state-owned lottery company. He was detained in 2006 on allegations of blackmail, but the prosecution was dropped.
