Dear members,

Last week, ICSD Chief Executive Mark Cooper visited the Police anti-corruption brigade in Nitra, Slovakia. He met with investigators and the prosecution team and gave additional evidence for several hours.

As you know, Ruda remains in custody, waiting for a criminal trial. First, the Police must complete their investigation and then a trial can go ahead. As you can imagine, there has been an enormous amount of evidence for the Police to process: like 30,000 of Ruda’s email messages. Ruda has not cooperated with the Police investigation.

The investigation has been complex, with questions being answered by each of the countries that had sent money to the Slovakian Deaflympics Committee. Most of the affected countries have now been questioned. But some have not. ICSD will be in touch with those members, to speed up the process of questioning.

All members who were affected by the fraud carried out by Ruda, the Slovakian Deaflympics Committee and their accomplices, can help our case. You can do this by contacting their embassies in Bratislava again. Your embassies should ask the Slovakian government to do two things. First, the Slovakian government should make sure the Anti-Corruption Brigade has all the resources it requires to complete this case. Second, the Slovakian government must be made aware that Ruda must not be released when his bail is reviewed every four months.

ICSD was also asked to complete power of attorney arrangements with each member affected, to help coordinate and speed up the prosecution process. Again, we will be in touch with you about this shortly.

Rest assured that ICSD will continue to do all it can to ensure justice in this case.

All best wishes,Craig Crowley MBEPresident – International Committee of Sport for the Deaf