MfD: Czech state wants to seize property of amnestied suspects

Prague, Jan 18 (CTK) - The Czech state wants to confiscate the property of persons and firms suspected in economic criminal cases whose prosecution has been halted within the presidential amnesty, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes Friday.

The property has been frozen until now and it would be sold to compensate those damaged by the suspects if their crime was proved, the paper says.

Due to the amnesty, the frozen property is to be unblocked now.

But the Prague High State Attorney's Office has asked the Prague City Court to discuss the possible confiscation of the property concerned, MfD writes.

"We have filed requests for confiscation to the court in all cases in which property has been seized. We believe that this property was gained thanks to profits from criminal activities and we are not going to accept its return easily," state attorney Radim Danhel said.

Judge Kamil Kydalka confirmed to MfD that the Prague City Court already received the requests and that it would deal with them.

Under Czech law, this is possible if a perpetrator cannot be charged or punished for some reason, for example because of an amnesty, the paper writes.

According to MfD, large property is to be returned to Cepro state-run fuel distributor's former business manager Martin Pechan and his firm Tukovy prumysl, and football official Frantisek Chvalovsky, among others.