Prague, Oct 22 (CTK) – The Czech General Inspection of Security Forces (GIBS) has accused two people, one of whom is a police officer, of corruption and information leak after a raid on the unit for uncovering organised crime (UOOZ), Prague State Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Stepanka Zenklova has told CTK.
The state attorneys propose that the accused police be remanded in custody for fear that he could influence witnesses, Zenklova told CTK Thursday.
A court is to decide on the custody.
The attorneys categorically dismissed the speculation that this was a revenge for the UOOZ’s raid in the Olomouc Region, north Moravia, last week. The GIBS said it had launched criminal proceedings under the attorneys’ supervision in this case in 2014 already.
The Lidovky.cz server reported about the GIBS raid on the UOOZ headquarters on Wednesday. According to its unofficial information, the GIBS inspectors detained a detective from the UOOZ department for violent crime.
Zenklova said GIBS had launched criminal prosecution of two people one of whom was a nationwide police squad member in the position of a department head.
If found guilty, the police officer faces up to 12 years in prison for taking a bribe, abuse of power and violating the duty of a security force member. The other accused person faces up to six years behind bars.
They are mainly suspected of leaking information from police databases about ongoing penal proceedings, concerning people from the business and public sectors and some firms, to an unauthorised person partially for a financial reward, Zenklova told CTK.
The media mentioned the GIBS in connection with the UOOZ’s “Vidkun” operation, within which the UOOZ accused four people from the Olomouc Region of corruption and abuse of power last week.
Many have voiced surprise at the Olomouc case, including suspected corruption in the police ranks, being investigated by the UOOZ instead of the GIBS, whose task is to deal with crime committed by police.
The suspects are the Olomouc Region Governor Jiri Rozboril (Social Democrats, CSSD), influential businessman Ivan Kysely, Olomouc regional police deputy head Karel Kadlec and financial crime squad head Radek Petruj.
According to media, the UOOZ investigators have also shown interest in GIBS Olomouc branch head Tomas Ulicny in connection with the Olomouc case.
The GIBS’s task is to search for, uncover and investigate suspected crimes committed by police and customs officers, prison guards and GIBS inspectors themselves.
According to the Interior Ministry, the GIBS’s intervention this week is part of its standard work, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (CSSD) said in his report.
The GIBS Olomouc branch investigated suspicious links between Kadlec and Kysely, on the basis of an anonymous report three years ago. The inspection looked into whether they could have influenced the investigation into some cases, but it shelved the case eventually.
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD) will ask GIBS chief Ivan Bilek for explanation.
