Prague, Feb 7 (CTK) – A Geneva court has frozen a part of the money seized in Switzerland because it came from the suspicious privatisation of the Czech Mostecka uhelna spolecnost (MUS) coal mining firm on the initiative of the founder of Diag Human firm, Josef Stava, server Ceskapozice.cz reports Thursday.
Swiss authorities have seized an equivalent of 13.5 billion crowns in the MUS case.
Stava, a former owner of Diag Human who has been locked in a lawsuit against the Czech Republic over a compensation of several billion crowns for a frustrated trade in blood plasma, has had an equivalent of some 3.4 billion crowns frozen in Switzerland.
The server writes that the sum blocked on Stava’s suggestion amounts to the damage the Czech Republic incurred in the MUS case.
It is deposited in 81 accounts in five banks, including UBS and Credit Suisse.
The Swiss daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ), in its report about the case, writes that the Geneva court decided on blocking the accounts a year ago but the decision was announced only now.
The Czech government was informed about it by the Swiss ambassador to Prague in person, NZZ writes.
“The affair is about one year old and the Czech side has taken all necessary steps, therefore no danger in delay threatens, Karel Srol, from the Czech Foreign Ministry’s press department, told CTK Thursday.
He said the issue is mainly being dealt with by the Health Ministry that handles some of its aspects in coordination with the Foreign Ministry’s legal department.
In the meantime, NZZ writes, the Czech Republic has hired a Geneva lawyer and challenged the blocking of the money at court. The two sides are waiting for a verdict now, NZZ wrote.
The Geneva Court’s spokeswoman Sophie Bernard confirmed for CTK Thursday that this dispute between Diag Human and the Czech Republic continues.
Ceskapozice.cz writes that Stava wanted all money that the Swiss seized to be frozen, but the court did not comply with his demand.
Seven people, former MUS and Appian Group managers, have been charged in the MUS case in Switzerland. They are six Czechs and one Belgian.
They have been charged with embezzlement, money laundering, fraud and politicians’ bribing.
The server writes that they will go on trial in Bellinzona, Switzerland, in two stages – May 13-24 and June 10-July 12.
The six Czechs were MUS managers, the Belgian was head of Appian Group that was allegedly only a guise for the managers and connected businesspeople.
Appian Group was to help the Czechs buy out MUS shares for themselves for the money of the mines in 1997-99 through the Swiss company Investenergy S.A. and later transfer it to other entities.
In mid-2010 the Swiss prosecutor’s office called on the Czech government to join the trial as the complaining side, and so have an opportunity to demand the money back.
However, the Czech Republic did so with a big delay after the legal deadlines. The criminal court later dismissed the Czech effort to join the proceedings.
Diag Human demands a compensation of many billion crowns from the Czech Republic. Arbiters recognised a compensation of more than eight billion crowns in 2008 and interests have already reached a high level, too.
The two parties to the dispute, however, still argue about whether this ruling is valid.
The Czech Health Ministry as well as the Czech Office for Government Representation in Property Affairs say the arbitration still continues while Diag Human says it has been completed.
The firm has started to exact Czech money with foreign courts, including in Austria and France, but it eventually failed. Yet, the firm’s tactic has caused big problems to the Czech Republic.
A Vienna court, for instance, seized three Czech works of art exhibited in Vienna for some time.
