The CEO of the lottery, Ján Barczi, and the head of the IT department, Miloš Prelec, were charged Monday, the Spectator reported.
The two were detained following a Nov. 26 raid by authorities on the Tipos office, according to published reports. Both are accused of “violating their duties when managing entrusted property and of money laundering”, Slovakian police wrote on their Facebook page.
The National Criminal Agency of Slovakia (NAKA) is investigating Tipos for allegedly allowing money to passed from gambling accounts to private bank accounts without placing any gambling bets, according to Aktuality, a Slovak news site.
The scheme was allegedly carried out using the lottery’s online game room eTipos, which offers online lottery, sports betting, casino and poker products, according to the report. Investigators are trying to determine whether the gambling transactions came from legitimate wins or were from ones using the scheme, it said.
The national gambling company has been under investigation by NAKA for more than a year. In April 2018, the company closed 142 player accounts on suspicion of being part of a money laundering scheme. Tipos said at the time about 260,000 euros was laundered, though authorities continue to investigate whether the number is larger, Aktuality reported.
Thirty NAKA members participated in last month’s raid on Tipos following a tip about the scheme from a whistleblower, Aktuality reported. NAKA was looking for evidence of the alleged money laundering.
NAKA is also investigating the Barczi’s appointment of an assistant who allegedly facilitated the transfer, Aktuality reported. Contracts that Barczi facilitated are also being examined by authorities, according to the news site.
