Collector of vintage cars promised rare racing vehicles, instead kept ten million
A forty-five-year-old man appeared before the Olomouc regional court. According to the indictment, he was supposed to obtain two British racing specials Chevron B16 for a collector from Přerov by defrauding him out of more than ten million crowns. The vehicles were never delivered and the money was
Collector of vintage cars promised rare racing vehicles, instead kept ten million
A forty-five-year-old Martin Pompa from Přerov appeared before the Olomouc branch of the Regional Court in Ostrava on Tuesday. State prosecutor Jan Beránek accuses him of embezzlement with damages exceeding ten million crowns. This offence carries a possible sentence of up to ten years imprisonment.
The incident occurred in 2018. The defendant was supposed to undertake to arrange the purchase of two British historical racing specials of the Chevron B16 brand for a collector from Přerov. The first vehicle was offered for hundreds of thousands of pounds, the second was intended to serve as a source of spare parts. The injured party transferred a total of 10.27 million crowns to him in instalments.
The money was received on the basis of repeated promises, confirmations and promissory notes. Despite assurances, the vehicles were never delivered and the funds were not returned. "Despite repeated guarantees, he did not arrange the purchase, did not return the money and used it in another way," stated the prosecutor.
In court, the defendant denied the charge. He admitted that he signed the promissory notes, but claimed he did so under duress. "I arranged some Russian friends, I had to sign the promissory notes. I came for the money like some horse," he defended himself. He claimed that he immediately passed the cash from the injured party to another person who handled everything in Great Britain. He was supposed to earn one million crowns for mediation, but received only a fraction.
Judge Vladimír Najdek, however, objected to this. During the examination, according to him, he did not mention any foreigners, and the injured party denied the presence of another man when the money was handed over in the file.
The defendant arrived at court more than two hours late and under threat of a fine. Initially he claimed he was unable to testify and felt unwell, but eventually presented his version.
He has seventeen entries in the criminal register, most recently serving a sentence for fraud. The proceedings continue on Wednesday, when a verdict could be delivered.
Source: Olomoucký deník
Source: Google News CZ — Crime (cs)