Slovakia’s leading broadcaster TV Markiza is facing a demand for €70 million from the entrepreneur Marian Kocner.
According to Topky, it relates to four bills issued in 2000 by Pavol Rusko, TV Markiza’s joint owner and director at that time, and guaranteed by the broadcaster.
Although Kocner has filed a lawsuit, Markiza has rejected the financial demands and questioned the validity of the bills.
Furthermore, Markiza only learned about the content of the bills late last year.
Two matured in June 2015 and two others were issue as blanks, with the original owners being Kocner and his former business partner Stefan Agh, both of whom owned a company named Gamatex.
TV Markiza was launched by Central European Media Enterprises (CME) and local partners in 1996 and became wholly owned by the former in 2007.