8.  On 6 July 1990 the police investigator accused the applicant of theft and of breach of domestic privacy. On 7 July 1990 the Košice Public Prosecutor decided to remand the applicant in custody as from 5 July 1990. 9.  On 4 January 1991 the applicant was indicted for several offences. 10.  On 16 May 1991 the Supreme Court decided that the case was within the jurisdiction of the Košice Regional Court. 11.  On 3 July 1991 the Košice Regional Court sent the applicant’s criminal case back to the Public Prosecutor for further investigation. 12.  On 31 December 1991 the applicant was released from detention on remand. 13.  On 13 April 1992 a new indictment was filed with the Košice City Court. On 27 May 1992 the latter referred the case to the Košice Regional Court for reasons of jurisdiction. 14.  On 10 August 1992 the Košice Regional Court returned the case to the Public Prosecutor for further investigation. 15.  On 9 February 1993 the Košice 1 District Prosecutor filed a new indictment against the applicant to the Košice 1 District Court. On 3 March 1993 the District Court transferred the case to the Košice Regional Court for reasons of jurisdiction. On 1 June 1993 the public prosecutor withdrew the indictment. 16.  On 6 May 1994 the Košice 1 District Prosecutor again indicted the applicant before the Košice 1 District Court. On 16 May 1994 the prosecutor withdrew the indictment. 17.  On 5 October 1994 the Košice 1 District Prosecutor filed a new indictment with the Košice 1 District Court. On 30 June 1995 the latter returned the case to the public prosecutor and ordered further investigation into the case. On 9 November 1995 the Košice Regional Court ordered the District Court to decide on the case on the basis of the indictment filed on 5 October 1994. 18.  On 15 and 22 January 1996 the District Court adjourned the case after it had found that the applicant could not attend because he was detained in the context of different proceedings. 19.  Hearings before the District Court were held on 14, 26 and 29 February 1996. 20.  On 29 April 1996 the applicant requested that a different lawyer be appointed to represent him in the proceedings. His request was granted. Further hearings were held on 22 May 1996 and on 10 June 1996. 21.  On 1 July 1996 the case was adjourned as witnesses did not appear. The court proceeded with the case on 11 and 16 September 1996. On the latter date the District Court delivered a judgment in which it convicted the applicant on sixty-nine counts of theft and attempted theft, of violation of domestic privacy and of damaging other persons’ property. 22.  The Public Prosecutor appealed and claimed that the court should have imposed a consolidated sentence on the applicant. 23.  On 30 September 1997 the Košice Regional Court granted the appeal and imposed a consolidated three years’ prison sentence. 24.  In the meantime, on 5 May 1997, the applicant requested the District Court to restore his savings book which had been taken away from him at the preliminary stage of the proceedings. 25.  On 5 November 1997 the Košice 1 District Court issued a decision, in the context of the above criminal proceedings, by which it seized the savings book from the applicant. On 18 February 1998 the Košice Regional Court dismissed the applicant’s complaint against this decision.