He added that the court would decide on the proposal. Svoboda and Snopkova, his former adviser, were sentenced to five years in Gun ban shot down by US highest court ...
Czech Social Democrat MPs trust leaders after Wolf's departure ...
Czech CSSD chairman calls on Wolf to give up mandate of MP ...
Deputy Wolf leaves Czech opposition Social Democratic Party ...
Turkey's AKP threatens to clip power of courts ...
Czech Const.Court assessing Lisbon Treaty - deputy PM ... prison in February 2005 for siphoning off assets of the Liberta pram maker in Melnik, central Bohemia. Svoboda, finance minister in the CSSD government of Milos Zeman, has been the first member in a post-1989 government to be given a prison sentence.
He was also CSSD deputy chairman from 1997 and together with Snopkova they were in charge of the party's finances. Originally, they both faced up to 12 years in prison for the crimes committed in 1996-1998 when they were in the management of the Liberta company. They were found guilty of a fraud and preferring a creditor. Snopkova was also convicted of breach of her duties as a bankruptcy administrator. Apart from the prison sentence, they were fined 200,000 crowns each. According to the verdict, Svoboda and Snopkova cheated the IPB bank of six million crowns that were to be used for the Liberta operation. In fact they used the money to pay the debts of another firm of theirs, Omnia. They were preferring a creditor when they sold the Liberta real estate for millions of crowns after the bankruptcy was declared, but paid debts only to some of the dozens of their creditors. Snopkova in her capacity as Liberta liquidator never handed the books to the bankruptcy administrator. Snopkova started serving her sentence in May 2005, Svoboda three months later due to health problems. Apart from Svoboda, other former Czech ministers have been brought to court. Former CSSD health minister Marie Souckova was charged over her signing the contract between the Health Ministry and lawyer Zdenek Novacek on legal aid in the state's dispute with Diag Human company. In February she was acquitted of charges for the third time, but the City Court will proceed the case again. Former Czech IT minister Vladimir Mlynar (Freedom Union, US-DS) was sent to prison for 5.5 years for abuse of office and insider trading in connection with the establishment of the Testcom servis company, but he was eventually acquitted of charges. However, the Supreme Court is to assess his case as Supreme State Attorney Renata Vesecka has filed an appellate review. ($1=15.157 crowns)
(Ceske Noviny)
more info >>
<< Back