Slovakia’s Central Bank chief Peter Kazimir, finance minister in former Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Social Democratic government, was convicted Thursday of bribery.

Peter Kazimir, head of the Central Bank of SlovakiaPhoto: Martin Baumann/AP/Profimedia

According to the verdict, which is not final, he must pay a criminal fine of 100,000 euros or face two years in prison, according to TASR, Reuters and Agerpres.

Peter Kazimierz was accused of collecting money from an IT company in exchange for a contract paid for with public funds.

After the verdict was announced, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger and President Zuzana Čaputova, center-right politicians, asked him to resign.

But Peter Casimir’s conservative social democratic party SMER came to his defense, saying he was a typical victim of a justice system being used for political purposes.

Read also: Peter Kazimir, the head of the central bank of Slovakia and a member of the management of the ECB, is officially accused of involvement in the bribery case