Ústí region's vice governor arrested over manipulation of EU funds

The police yesterday arrested Pavel Kouda, Social Democrat (ČSSD) deputy governor of the Ústí region on suspicion of EU subsidy manipulation.

Usti nad Labem, North Bohemia, Sept 4 (CTK) - The Czech police yesterday arrested Pavel Kouda, Social Democrat (CSSD) deputy governor of the Usti region on suspicion of EU subsidy manipulation, several sources told CTK separately.

The state attorney and the police unit for uncovering organised crime (UOOZ) only confirmed the detention of four people.

Accusations have been levelled against a total of six people. Apart from Kouda, they are probably three directors of the regional office in charge of the subsidy distribution, Petr Kusnierz and his predecessor and successor in the post, Petr Vrablik and Pavel Markvart, and also two female clerks.

They have been accused of abuse of power and harming the financial interests of the European communities. If found guilty, they would face up to ten years in prison, and Kouda even 20 years, in view of his high position.

A source close to the north Bohemian political scene told CTK that the police would propose that Kouda be taken into custody.

CSSD chairman Bohuslav Sobotka said the CSSD is likely to call on Kouda to leave all his posts, to expel him from the party and delete his name from its lists of candidates running in the October regional polls.

The police have intervened in affairs linked to the Northwest programme of EU subsidy drawing and distribution, involving the Usti region and the adjacent Karlovy Vary region, quite frequently so far.

The CSSD, which is the senior opposition party on the national level, has the posts of governors in all self-rule regions except for Prague.

The police said yesterday detentions are another step within the investigation which led to the arrest of four people in July. At the time, the police sealed Kouda's room at the Regional Office and also raided the subsidy distribution office, taking away documents linked to some public orders.

The police then again arrested Kusnierz, who was previously sentenced to 7.5 years in jail for corruption. The verdict has not yet taken effect.

The police did not have to arrest Kusnierz yesterday because he has stayed in custody since July.

"The detectives have gradually accused six people, four men and two women aged from 20 to 53," UOOZ spokesman Pavel Hantak told journalists yesterday.

The age of the oldest accused person corresponds to Kouda's.

Apart from his position as a deputy to the Usti regional governor Jana Vanhova (CSSD), Kouda is the number two man on the CSSD's list of regional election candidates and a deputy head of the CSSD's Usti regional branch.