Former transport minister faces charges

Prague, Jan 26 (CTK) - State attorneys have sent to court the bribery charges of Czech junior government Public Affairs (VV) deputy group head Vit Barta, who is considered the party's informal leader, municipal state attorney Jana Hercegova told CTK yesterday.

Unaffiliated deputy Jaroslav Skarka (previously VV) is also to be brought to court. He is charged with taking a bribe.

Skarka and MP Kristyna Koci accused Barta of having attempted to bribe them last April. They were expelled from the VV later over the accusation.

Skarka allegedly used part of the money he received from Barta.

If found guilty of bribery, Barta faces up to six years in prison, while Barta faces three years or a ban on his activities.

According to the former VV deputies' testimony, Barta gave 500,000 crowns to Koci and 170,000 crowns to Skarka. Last April, Skarka said he had been receiving 55,000 crowns a month from Barta for loyalty since September 2010.

Barta denied any wrongdoing, arguing that he had only lent the money to his party colleagues, but he stepped down from the government last spring.

"Since I was released for prosecution (by the Chamber of Deputies) I have been saying that I can be exonerated only in court. I am looking forward to the court proceedings," he said previously.

The police proposed on January 9 that Barta and Skarka be brought to court.

The Prague City State Attorney's Office has accepted the police's arguments since the investigation results sufficiently justify bringing the men to court on the basis of corruption charges, Hercegova said yesterday.

"The subject matter of the charges is corrupt behaviour of persons in connection with the effort to influence democratic procedures and a debate within a party in parliament," she added.

($1=19.597 crowns)