Corruption at Liberec transport company: court begins hearing case with potential 12-year sentence
The Liberec court has begun main proceedings in a corruption case connected to the Transport Company of the cities of Liberec and Jablonec. The accused face up to 12 years' imprisonment.
Liberec court examines corruption surrounding transport company, Vařil faces key charges
The Liberec court on Monday began main proceedings in an extensive corruption case concerning the Transport Company of the cities of Liberec and Jablonec nad Nisou (DPMLJ), according to novinky.cz. State prosecutor Jana Býmová read out the indictment in the morning, with the examination of the accused scheduled for the afternoon. The hearing will continue until Wednesday.
The accused face charges of accepting bribes, causing damage to the financial interests of the European Union, gaining advantages in public procurement, and bribery. Some of them face imprisonment for up to 12 years. The case concerns the period from 2012 to 2018.
The central figure in the case, according to police, is businessman Jiří Vařil, who allegedly secretly controlled the transport company BusLine. Companies from this group make up the majority of the accused legal entities. According to the indictment, Vařil allegedly influenced the operations of DPMLJ primarily through former company director Luboš Wejnar and former board chairman and Liberec councillor for ANO, Pavel Šulc.
"The indictment accuses one natural person of influencing the activities within the Transport Company of the city of Liberec and Jablonec nad Nisou through their conduct for the benefit of other legal entities," Býmová stated after the morning session concluded.
Šulc was already convicted in this case two years ago — he received a suspended sentence and a financial penalty of 2.21 million crowns. Wejnar's court hearing began today alongside Vařil's. Both refused to comment to journalists about the charges.
The indictment focuses on actions from 2015 to 2018. Among the influenced contracts are the reconstruction of the tram line on Rumunská Street and at the intersection of Masarykova and Vítězná streets, repair of an exchange office, delivery of 17 CNG buses, supplies of fuel and accounting services. Vařil also allegedly sought to influence an unfavourable contract for DPMLJ, in which a company from the BusLine group acted as a subcontractor.
Investigators further discovered that Vařil influenced not only politicians but also transport company employees, lawyers and auditors. The state prosecutor described the entire case as systemic corruption with high social gravity.
"There has been systemic corruption, as the operation of the transport company and the public contracts it issued were influenced," Býmová added.
Detectives accused more than thirty people and companies in the case. Seven natural persons and six companies previously concluded guilt and sentence agreements with the state prosecution, which the courts approved. All were imposed financial penalties, some also suspended sentences.
Source: Google News CZ — Crime (cs)