In the case of Plechlo v. Slovakia, the Court held that there had been a violation of the right to respect for private and family life.

The case concerned the tapping and recording of some of the applicant’s telephone conversations in the context of a criminal investigation into suspected corruption within the National Property Fund (the country’s privatisation agency). At the time, the applicant was a top-ranking official of the NPF; the criminal investigation had not however directly concerned him. Subsequently, in 2016 some of the intercepted material was included in the file of another criminal investigation into mismanagement of assets and in which the applicant was one of the primary suspects.

The Court found that the applicant, as somebody randomly affected by telephone-tapping measures, had not benefited from the requisite safeguards with regard to the recording, storage and continued retention of the intercept material. 

• Press release
• Factsheet: Data protection