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 (ECB), 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.
Kažimír’s conviction also represents another unwelcome distraction for the ECB as it goes through a major rotation of its personnel. The Slovak is one of five national central bank representatives on the Governing Council whose terms expire this year.
In addition, Slovenia’s central bank is also currently without a permanent head, with parliament unable to agree on a candidate to replace the departed Boštjan Vasle.
Finland’s Olli Rehn was reappointed for a second term in March without any complications, and Martin Kocher is due to succeed Robert Holzmann at the Austrian National Bank in September.
But other posts have been taken hostage by domestic politics. The fate of Portugal’s Mário Centeno, once considered a shoo-in for a second term, is now up in the air after his political allies in the Socialist party were weakened in elections this month. The nomination process will now be overseen by the new government of Luís Montenegro.