The Supreme Court (NS) rejected the appeal of four managers of construction companies convicted of the collapse of the Studénka bridge in Novojičínsk. They got the conditions. The under-repaired road bridge fell onto the railway line when an international express train crashed into its wreckage. Of these, 6 died on the spot and 2 others succumbed to their injuries. The Supreme Court decided without a public hearing, according to the ČTK agency, complete justice is not yet available.
The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic confirms the terms of the four managers of the accident in Studenka, is this the end of the case?
What were the consequences of the collapse of the Studénka bridge for the passengers of the international express train?
Why did the court proceedings in the Studenek case drag on for more than 14 years?
On August 8, 2008, the accident occurred during repairs. 95 passengers were injured, 9 of them seriously. Some have lifelong effects.
Ten defendants appeared in court for the first time. Twice the district court acquitted all of the charges. For the third time, he found five managers of construction companies guilty, two of whom were given unconditional sentences. In September 2022, the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence, taking into account the length of the proceedings, and sentenced the five to three to three and a half years. Pavel Janouškovec, Michal Foniok, Miroslav Kovalík and Oldřich Magnusek filed an unsuccessful appeal to the NS.
Janouškovec and Foniok worked at the company Ostrava dopravni stavby (today Eurovia), Kovalik and Magnusek at the company Bögl & Krýsl. Another culprit was Zdeněk Malý from Bögl & Krýsl.
Deputy Ombudsman Vít Alexander Schorm pointed out last year that the court system was inflexible when dealing with the case and there were delays in proceedings. The final verdict came 12 years after the charge sheet was filed and 14 years after the accident.
“The duty of the state is to ensure the conditions for the court, that is, for a particular judge, he can properly fulfill the tasks entrusted to him. This task includes deciding any complex matter in a reasonable time without delay. The criminal proceedings in the Studének case demonstrated that the state easily fails its role in complex, large-scale court cases. , and it’s caused by the organization’s systems,” Schorm said last year.
Even the decision of the NS need not be the end of the case. Those convicted can still appeal to the Constitutional Court with complaints.
