Prague, Sept 23 (CTK) – The Hartenberg investment fund, founded by Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) and another businessman, has bought a 70 percent stake in the second biggest outpatient clinic in Prague, the Modrany health care centre, daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) writes Friday.
Hartenberg investment director Frantisek Tregler confirmed the transaction. The price of the deal was not released.
Hartenberg representatives only said tens of millions will be invested in the modernisation of the clinic, at which nearly 100 doctors work, the paper writes.
The Modrany outpatient clinic provides medical treatment for a part of the city with about 60,000 people, the paper writes.
The Hartenberg fund is administered by Jozef Janov, former investment director of the Penta Group, and Libor Nemecek, Agrofert acquisition director. Babis is the sole owner of the Agrofert group that associates over 250 chemical, food-processing, agricultural, wood-processing and other firms.
Until now, Hartenberg owned only the outpatient clinic in Velke Mezirici, south Moravia.
However, the fund has bought several assisted reproduction clinics. Its Future Life holding controls about one third of the Czech market in assisted reproduction, owning ten of about 40 clinics in the country. It also owns assisted reproduction clinics abroad and is the second biggest group in this sphere in Europe, HN writes.
The Prague-Modrany outpatient clinic was owned by the Codum company from 1997. One of the three owners, doctor Jaroslav Bartak, sold his stake to his two partners in the company after his sexual harassment scandal broke out in 2011. In 2013, Bartak was sent to 14 years in prison for rape, blackmail and exerting sexual pressure.
The 70-percent stake was sold to Hartenberg by the two owners of Codum, Frantisek Fencl and Jitka Novotna.
($1=24.046 crowns)
