Suspended sentence for former Přerov school headmistress: embezzlement of 400,000 crowns
A court has punished the former headmistress of Komenský Primary School in Přerov-Předmostí with a suspended sentence and a ban on holding office. According to the ruling, Věra Zapletalová embezzled nearly 400,000 crowns.
Přerov court: former school headmistress given suspended sentence for embezzlement
The Přerov court on Monday sentenced the former headmistress of Komenský Primary School in Přerov-Předmostí, Věra Zapletalová, to two and a half years' imprisonment with a suspended sentence on a probation period of four years and a five-year ban on holding office. According to the ruling, which is not yet final, she embezzled nearly 400,000 crowns from the school's cash box. The news was reported by iDNES.cz.
According to the ruling, the embezzlement took place between 2018 and 2023 and involved dozens of individual instances. Zapletalová is also obliged to make good the damage caused.
Clientelist system with selected employees
"A clientelist system operated here. The headmistress had her employees, to whom she gave high bonuses, and they then collected part of the money back for the headmistress," described the mechanism Judge Jan Rektor.
The judge simultaneously stressed that the employees were not forced into the system by violence — on the contrary, participation was financially advantageous for them. "For the employees it was advantageous to receive higher bonuses, even if they handed part of it over," Rektor stated. Part of the paid bonuses thus served, according to the court, to directly enrich the headmistress.
Subordinates testified in court that after receiving above-standard bonuses, they withdrew sums from cash machines ranging from five to eleven thousand crowns and handed the cash back to the headmistress. According to the testimonies, the last time this occurred was in January 2023, when Zapletalová was supposed to ask for ten thousand crowns — however, the subordinate did not hand over the money on this occasion.
Prosecutor: guilt proven without doubt
State prosecutor Kateřina Opluštilová described Zapletalová's guilt as proven without any doubt whatsoever. This is borne out, according to her, by the testimonies of witnesses and documentary evidence, including bank account statements.
The defence counsel Petr Dítě, by contrast, demanded an acquittal. According to him, there is no evidence of artificially inflated bonuses. "It is a fabricated matter for which there is no evidence," he said in court.
Defendant speaks of revenge
Zapletalová herself rejected the charges in court. She declared that this was revenge by part of her former subordinates, which according to her was closely connected to an escalated atmosphere at the school.
Přerov city council joined the criminal proceedings
The Přerov city council also joined the criminal proceedings, claiming compensation for damages. The city leadership had previously rejected the suggestion that its control mechanisms had failed.
Councillor Jakub Navařík (ODS) stated in this connection: "The method by which the damage was supposedly caused could not be detected by ordinary control mechanisms — its detection required tools that only the Czech Police have at their disposal."
Tense atmosphere at school and change of leadership
The school in Předmostí experienced a tense atmosphere from 2024 onwards. According to the Přerov News, parents of pupils had been seeking the headmistress's removal for some time — they were concerned about the exodus of teachers and the overlooking of problematic phenomena including bullying. Dissatisfied parents also submitted a petition to the city.
The council eventually announced a competition for the director position in March 2025, following the end of Zapletalová's six-year term of office. Based on the selection procedure, a new headmistress then took up the position.
The ruling has not yet become final.
Source: iDNES.cz