comment / Robert Slacta, the leader of the pledge, plastered the country with billboards accusing the government of voter fraud. At the same time, he made fanciful expectations about unraveling the massive scandal after the raid on the Czech Republic’s government office ten years earlier. Another of the affected actors will sue the government for crores of crowns.
“Next time Přísaha, they cheated you,” echoed the former director of ÚOOZ on billboards and social networks. He refers to the ruling coalition’s unfulfilled pre-election promises, not taking into account – like many critics – the situation that turned into turmoil after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This intensified the steep decline in public finances initiated by the irresponsible budget policy of the Andrzej Babis government.
Decet can go now
With a redundant spell, Šlacht’s chant signifies that next time the oath will “deceive you”. And then to say that it has already happened. On the night of June 12-13, 2013, Olomouc celebrated the tenth anniversary of the raid of the government office and hundreds of armed men in dozens of locations in the country, organized by the head of ÚOOZ together with Olomouc chief prosecutor Ivo Ištvan. is approaching.
The police maneuvers resembled an intervention against a branch cartel of the Russian or Balkan mafia. Two days later, Šlachta and Ištvan held a memorably extraordinary press conference that sparked the context of the largest corruption scandal in the history of the Czech Republic.
“About 400 police officers were involved in the operation, not only from ÚOOZ, but also from other units. 31 searches took place, during which 120 to 150 million crowns in cash, tens of thousands of kilograms of gold and documents for further investigation were secured,” announced Šlachta.
Information about seized gold and cash became the detonator, fueled by massive illegal leaks to the media. He complained about “nuclear bomb”, “organized criminal group”, “sabotage” or “threat to national security”. These serious suspicions have not been confirmed till date.
In a heated environment, questions arose as to how the protected property was related to the eight people detained and charged at the time, led by Jana Načasová (Nečasová). This connection is not always present.
Deliberate manipulation
A resolution after ten years. There is no evidence of any criminal activity for the seizure of gold and cash. Businessman Luboš Pašek gave an interview to the portal A list of messagesHe admitted that his property was frozen in the amount of 74.1 million crowns.
Pašek was investigated in connection with the case of the Champan laboratory, which allegedly collected unauthorized overpayments from health insurance companies. Pašk’s business partner, lobbyist Roman Janoušek, also appeared in it.
In terms of timing and personnel, this case is entirely consistent with what was happening in a government office at the time. From this point of view, his involvement in the arrangement of Šlacht and Ištvan’s press conference was purposeful and manipulative. The goal was clear – to increase the media effect.
In February this year, the High Court of Prague definitively confirmed the innocence of the defendants in the Champan case. In April, the municipal court in Prague decided to return the confiscated property. Part of Pašek’s fortune, gold bars worth 26 million crowns and shares in several companies, has already been returned. This will be followed by the release of 25 million crowns secured.
A case worth crores
When we first applied to reclaim the property in 2013, a week after intervening with the government office, I submitted tax returns for three years retrospectively. No one has asked me about the origin of that money in ten years. But the police were well aware that I had a lot of legal income,” Pasek said in an interview.
“It is unbelievable that one person can hold this amount of possessions for ten years. The police and public prosecutor should know that there is not even a millimeter of truth in this matter,” he added. The whole affair caused him problems both in business and in his personal life. “I had to put myself under the care of psychiatrists. There was a period when it was too much for me and I couldn’t handle it anymore.”
Pašek is not apologizing “under any circumstances,” but he is preparing a case for damages for both property and non-property damage. “It would be ten million crowns more.”
How did Robert Slagta and Ivo Istvan react over time to the affair surrounding the confiscated gold and cash? Although the courts’ decisions are far from it, both still insist that the methods used in testing are adequate.
The media is to blame
“It was a mistake to mention gold and millions. I shouldn’t have said that, it caused exaggerated expectations,” Šlachta admitted to Lidovi Novini in 2016, as the conflict between ANO and ČSSD over police reform reached its climax.
István responded similarly, but more arrogantly. According to him, high expectations were created by journalists and not by law enforcement agencies. However, their sources often fueled unsubstantiated speculation and fanciful constructions in the media.
“Proceedings are postponed,” Ištvan replied to the server iRozhlas.cz In 2019, he and Schlachta discussed it at a press conference when asked how the investigation into the reported “corruption-blocking client network” was progressing.
“It is impossible to clarify the facts that allow prosecution of specific persons, and thus criminal prosecution. This often happens,” he said as if it was nothing. “Just” about the fall of the government and the subsequent regime change.
It cannot be forgotten that Olomouc’s chief prosecutor played a key role in the party held by President Milos Zeman after the resignation of the government. He invited István to the castle and expressed his support. Citing his promise that the investigation would be completed within weeks and expecting more “exciting” revelations, he called the Ruznok government unconstitutional.
Two years later, Zeman hypocritically admits that Istvan cheated on him. This could not change anything. Meanwhile, three former MPs have received compensation from the government for malpractice. The oligarch Babis rose to power, with Zeman forming a powerful cartel.
The small fish of the local “Palermo” have been displaced by a predatory killer whale, which is now trying to regain power even at the cost of damaging the western passage of the Czech Republic. Prabhukus again helpfully registers as he did ten years ago.
