Czech money sent to a militant in Donetsk. He was given probation and must pay five times as much

In March 2017, the defendant sent fifty thousand crowns to an account in Russia through his internet bank. The money was paid to Aloj Polak, 52, a fugitive from Brno, a sniper who was sentenced to twenty-one years in prison for the deaths of at least four members of Ukraine’s government units in January this year. In court, his lawyer said the man was no longer alive.

It was during the investigation of Polak’s criminal activities that the transgressions of Pavel Fator, who lived in a village near Hradec Králové, came to light.

“The funds were intended for the activities of a militant within the ranks of the militarily organized units known as the Donetsk People’s Republic, although the defendant was aware of the man’s connection to this militarily organized unit of the self-proclaimed republic. The funds were intended to be used for the equipment and weapons of other members of the unit known as the Republican Guard, i.e. for his more active work,” said Martin Pili, a lawyer from the High Prosecutor’s Office in Prague. .

“At that time I felt it differently than I do today. I quickly realized that I had made a mistake. I acted without thinking,” Fator said in court on Monday.

“I felt that I would help people who were in danger. Unfortunately, it turned out the way it did. Residents were threatened, and I felt that they were resisting some kind of violence,” Fator reiterated, adding that the change came after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“Every decent and normal person should reject Russian aggression,” he added.

When questioned by his defense attorney, he also confirmed that after the war began, he sent twenty or thirty thousand to accounts supporting occupied Ukraine.

Pavel Fator (born 1967) has long been interested in politics, and in 1989 he was one of the representatives of the so-called student leaders, a strike group at the Faculty of Education.

In 2002, he ran for the Hradec Democratic Party in the municipal elections. But he was not selected. In the last presidential election, the candidate supported Jaroslav Basta.

Tuesday’s hearing was short, less than an hour. The parties and the prosecution reached an agreement and the court accepted their plea.

“Both sides came up with a draft agreement. “The court has not found any legitimate circumstances that prevent its acceptance,” said Senate President Jiri Vasek, adding that the punishment for the crime is three to 12 years in prison. However, according to him, the defendant’s current record, including the fact that he sent money to Ukrainian refugees and that the crime took place seven years ago, The court took into account the position.