The alleged instigator of the assassination of a Slovak investigative journalist and his fiancée will be retried next year, the lawyer for the victim's family said on Wednesday, AFP reports.

Businessman Marian Kocner is accused of ordering the killing of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova, who were shot dead at their home in the village of Velka Maca in February 2018.

Kuciak, 27, had written several stories on graft and shady dealings involving Kocner, who had ties to senior politicians.

In his last article, which was published after his death, Kuciak had alleged links between the Italian mafia and the government led by Robert Fico.

The couple's deaths sparked the largest protests in Slovakia since the fall of communism and prompted the resignation of Fico's government, although he returned to power in 2023.

Slovakia's Supreme Court has twice annulled the acquittal verdict against Kocner.

The retrial, which will take place from January 26, will be before new judges, lawyer Peter Kubina told media.