Two fined for offering bribe to MP's assistant

Prague, Sept 5 (CTK) - Czech businessmen Jiri Zeronik and Josef Slechta must pay 100,000 crowns each for offering a bribe to Simon Stejkoza, assistant to MP Michal Babak (Public Affairs, VV), the Prague Municipal Court ruled yesterday, upholding the verdict of a lower level court.

Zeronik and Slechta will go to prison for six months if they do not pay the fine imposed on them, the court's spokeswoman Martina Lhotakova said.

The businessmen offered Stejkoza 15 million crowns in exchange for a guarantee of a 250-million subsidy for the construction of a private technical university from the Education Ministry, then headed by Josef Dobes (VV). They made the offer through their acquaintance Milan Hnilica.

Stejkoza reported the case immediately after the businessmen first contacted him. His further meetings with them were monitored by the police. All evidence was gained, including an advance payment of the bribe of 300,000 crowns.

Hnilica received a 12-month suspended sentence.

Both Zeronik and Slechta plead innocent.

Zeronik was an assembly member in Liberec, north Bohemia, for the ruling Civic Democratic Party (ODS).

He is also prosecuted within a case of alleged land machinations, along with Liberec former mayor Jiri Kittner (ODS). The police accused them of stripping the town of Liberec of 17.7 million crowns in September 2011.

($1=19.781 crowns)