Peter Kazimir, the head of Slovakia's central bank and a member of the European Central Bank's governing council, has vehemently denied bribery accusations and refused to step down from his position. Kazimir is accused of bribing the head of Slovakia's tax office with €48,000 (approximately $52,000) during his tenure as finance minister, allegedly in connection with a tax audit of several private companies. He could face up to five years in prison if found guilty.

Kazimir maintains his innocence, dismissing the charges as fabricated and unlawful. "I will never resign," he declared to reporters as his trial commenced in Pezinok, near Bratislava. "And you know why? Because I haven’t done anything wrong."

As a member of the ECB's governing council, Kazimir plays a crucial role in shaping monetary policy for the 20 countries that use the euro currency. The accusations stem from his time as finance minister under Prime Minister Robert Fico's leftist government from 2012 to 2019. Before assuming his central bank role, Kazimir was a member of Fico's Smer-Social Democracy party.

The Smer-Social Democracy party lost power in the 2020 general election to a coalition government that campaigned on an anti-corruption platform. Since then, several high-ranking officials, including police officers, judges, prosecutors, politicians, and businesspeople, have faced corruption and other criminal charges. Kazimir is the first minister from Fico's government to be brought to trial. With Fico's party poised for a potential victory in the upcoming September elections, the outcome of Kazimir's trial holds significant political implications.