Corruption in Liberec transport company: court proceedings begin in two weeks
The Regional Court in Liberec will begin examining the corruption case involving the Transport Company of the Cities of Liberec and Jablonec nad Nisou (DPMLJ) on 16 June. Nine individuals and 12 companies have been charged.
Liberec corruption case heading to court: hearing scheduled for June
The Liberec Regional Court will begin examining the corruption case connected with the Transport Company of the Cities of Liberec and Jablonec nad Nisou (DPMLJ) in two weeks. According to liberecky.denik.cz, the hearings are scheduled for 16–18 June, as evidenced by data in the justice database.
Deputy Regional State Prosecutor Kateřina Doušová previously stated that charges had been filed against nine individuals and 12 companies. The Regional State Prosecutor's Office also submitted a proposal to the court for approval of guilty plea agreements concluded with three other defendants – one person and two companies.
Investigators have charged the defendants with accepting a bribe, damaging the financial interests of the European Union, unlawfully securing an advantage in public contract award proceedings, and bribery. Some face sentences of up to 12 years' imprisonment.
The case dates to April 2018, when police conducted an operation directly at DPMLJ. The company's spokesperson Martina Poršová previously told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) that the transport company has appeared as an injured party in these proceedings since 2018. Liberec subsequently amended the company's bylaws and management model in response to the case – the company has since been led by a three-member board of directors, whilst political representatives sit only on the supervisory board.
The extensive case is not limited to DPMLJ. In spring 2018, police also conducted operations at the BusLine company, the Liberec Regional Office, ČSAD Liberec, and the consulting firm Nexia, according to ČTK information. Investigators examined materials related to securing transport services, reconstruction of the tramway line in Liberec, and the purchase of buses powered by natural gas.
One of the defendants was former Liberec councillor Pavel Šulc from the ANO movement, who previously concluded a guilty plea agreement with the prosecutor. The court approved it in February 2024. For accepting a bribe exceeding two million crowns whilst serving on the DPMLJ board of directors, Šulc received a three-year suspended sentence with a probationary period of three years and a monetary fine of 2.21 million crowns. His company Smartkonstrukt was ordered to pay 100,000 crowns; the court also approved the guilty plea agreement for the company.
Source: Google News CZ — Crime (cs)