Attorney rejects MP Rath's complaint against prosecution

Prague, July 3 (CTK) - A state attorney has rejected a complaint filed by deputy and former Czech Social Democrat (CSSD) regional governor David Rath, who is charged with bribery, against his prosecution, Rath's defence counsel Roman Jelinek told CTK Tuesday.

However, it ensues from the decision that the charges are based only on "outputs of operative equipment," that is wiretapping recordings, he added.

Rath was caught red-handed with seven million crowns in mid-May and remanded in custody. He was charged with having taken a bribe for manipulating a public order for the reconstruction of the Bustehrad chateau, central Bohemia, that was to be co-financed from EU funds.

Rath's lawyers have criticised, for instance, the fact that the police did not order an expert opinion on the Bustehrad chateau's reconstruction.

Jelinek Tuesday also pointed out that the police had not yet processed the wiretapping recordings in the Rath case.

Nine witnesses have been questioned in the case until this week, Jelinek said.

"The crucial witness mentioned in the media first confirmed the course of the tender for the Bustehrad chateau's reconstruction and second he refuted some media statements saying he was replaced with another designer upon the governor's order," Jelinek said.

He (the witness) denied having faced pressure over the budget or project documentation, Jelinek added.

The police now hired an expert to examine fingerprints on the box with money and the banknotes that were seized from Rath, Jelinek said.

Rath's defence has claimed since the beginning that Rath's fingerprints were not on the money.

Rath denies having taken a bribe. He claims he thought that the box with money he carried contained wine bottles.

If found guilty, Rath faces up to 12 years in prison.

Another seven people are prosecuted along with Rath. Their complaints against prosecution have also been rejected, the media reported previously.

They were all taken into custody, too. One of them, Ivana Salacova, head of the Fisa construction firm, was released in late June.

Salacova testified on June 22 that she had met Rath only four times and "he never demanded a commission, a bribe from her or any other benefit in connection with the reconstruction of the Bustehrad chateau or any other order," Jelinek said.