- Maria Troskova was dubbed the ‘sexy assistant’ after her surprise appointment
- Diplomats outraged when a model of “dubious reputation” met Angela Merkel
A glamorous ‘chief state adviser’ to Robert Fico was closely linked to his downfall over a 2018 mafia scandal.
Fico, who returned to power last year, resigned as prime minister less than three weeks after a wave of public revulsion over the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kusnirova.
Kuciak, the first journalist killed for his work in Slovakia, was investigating organized crime links to the Fico government.
Maria Troskova, a 27-year-old former Miss World contestant who had also appeared in nude photo shoots, was appointed by Fico despite her lack of experience. The Slovak tabloids subsequently dubbed her the “sexy assistant,” but the government refused to clarify why she was hired or the nature of her role.
But diplomats were outraged when the “not very successful and disreputable model” was allowed to attend meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Maria Troskova, a glamorous ‘senior state advisor’ to Robert Fico, was closely linked to his downfall in a mafia scandal in 2018 (pictured: Troskova and Fico)
Fico, pictured with his wife Svetlana in March 2007. Fico, who returned to power last year, resigned as prime minister less than three weeks after a wave of public revulsion over the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova .
Maria Troskova, a 27-year-old former Miss World contestant who had also appeared in nude photo shoots, was named by Fico despite her lack of experience (pictured: Troskova on the cover of a modeling magazine in 2009).
Fico photographed at the EU Council building in Brussels in 2015
While investigating this seemingly strange hire, Kuciak is said to have discovered that she had been in business with an expatriate member of the notorious Italian ‘Ndrangheta mafia clan, linked to the transport of cocaine and the theft of EU subsidies.
Kuciak was investigating whether Troskova could have been an intermediary between the mafia and the Slovak government when she was murdered, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
Ms Troskova resigned from her position, saying she “categorically refuted any connection” to the twin murders, only to be followed by her former boss, Mr Fico, days later. Little seems to be known about Troskova since her resignation. She could not be reached for comment.