Prague, April 12 (CTK) – The Czech senior government Social Democrats (CSSD) are obliged to pay 337 million crowns to their former defence counsel Zdenek Altner for his services by Thursday since his lawyer Vaclav Vesely collected the court verdict on Monday, the court spokeswoman told CTK yesterday.
The verdict has thereby taken effect.
The CSSD has applied for an appellate review with the Supreme Court, but this does not postpone the verdict’s effect.
A court recently ruled that the Social Democrats must pay a sum of 18.5 million to Altner for his services plus a contractual fine of 318 million.
Altner helped the CSSD successfully defend its ownership of its Lidovy dum headquarters in Prague centre in the late 1990s. The contract from 1997 granted Altner a contractual reward worth 10 percent of the lucrative real estate’s value if he succeeded in pushing through the party’s claim to it.
“The verdict was delivered on Monday,” Vesely said.
He confirmed that the deadline for paying the sum would expire on Thursday.
Alena Novotna, spokeswoman for the Prague 1 district court, confirmed it to CTK
“Mr Altner’s lawyer collected the verdict at 23:13, on April 11, so the three-day deadline for the fulfilment of the legal duty starts yesterday,” Novotna said.
“We are yet to deliver the point of payment to the adverse party, which we will do in time,” Vesely said.
There was no particular reason for the wait to take over the verdict, Vesely said, adding that they just used the legal deadline for the act.
On Monday, the CSSD welcomed the fact that the verdict was not yet valid, since it may enable the Supreme Court to adjourn its validity, or possibly its enforceability.
The Supreme Court usually receives a petition for an appellate review about one month after its filing.
However, Jiri Chvojka, media representative of the Belina and Partners legal office which represents the CSSD, said he believed that the procedure would be quick. The decision is up to the Supreme Court, he added.
“We will take all steps for the CSSD to get to the financial means, which we believe to win back,” Chvojka said.
Novotna confirmed to CTK that the court had received the appellate review as well. Before submitting it to the Supreme Court, it must be sent to the adverse party that can study it within a 10-15 day deadline.
In its petition for an appellate review, the CSSD mainly challenged the justifiability and legality of the high contractual fine which was calculated 5734 days after Altner’s legal complaint against the CSSD was filed.
The CSSD has taken out a loan of 338 million crowns to pay the high sum to Altner.
However, before sending the money, the Social Democrats would like to agree with distraint officers about whom they should actually pay. The CSSD says Altner’s 17 creditors have already turned to it with claims worth more than 20 million crowns.
The CSSD lawyers therefore reject that further talks should concern the point of payment only.
“It is not that simple exactly due to the distraint proceedings, respectively the claims by Altner’s creditors,” Chvojka said.
The party wants to negotiate both with Vesely and distraint officers
($1=23.724 crowns)
