Olomouc, North Moravia, Jan 17 (CTK) – The High Court acquitted former Czech Energy Regulatory Office (ERU) chairwoman Alena Vitaskova of charges in the case of the ERU’s irregular granting of licences to two solar power plants in north Bohemia on Wednesday.
The appeals High Court ruled it was not proved that the crime with which she was charged had really been committed.
The Brno Regional Court originally sentenced Vitaskova to 8.5 years in prison in February 2016.
Apart from Vitaskova, the appeals court dealt with other defendants in the case.
The appeals court on Wednesday lowered the prison sentences imposed on the owners of the Sasa-sun and Zdenek-sun power plants in Chomutov, north Bohemia, brothers Zdenek and Alexandr Zemek, from 7.5 to six years and nine months each.
The court also lowered the sentence of ERU licensing section former head Michaela Schneiderova by 1.5 years to seven years, and revision technician Vladimir Cimpera from 5.5 to four years.
It upheld the 5.5 years in prison given to another technician Karel Supina, who assisted in false revision reports, but cut the 0.5-million fine imposed on him to 250,000 crowns.
On the contrary, the court increased the prison sentence of two other technicians, Jan Hudecek and Jaroslav Krym, from six to seven years behind bars.
Besides, the High Court imposed a fine of 250,000 crowns on Schneiderova. It upheld the penalty of seven million crowns imposed on the Zemek brothers as well as the other fines that Cimpera, Hudecek and Krym must pay.
Schneiderova, charged with abuse of power, took the guilt on herself in court. She said Vitaskova had not given her any consent to issuing her stance or any recommendation.
According to the indictment, Zdenek and Alexandr Zemek gained the licences unrightfully and thereby were given the right to very advantageous purchasing prices of the solar energy supplied to the public grid by end 2010. Another court stripped both solar plants of the licences in May 2016 arguing they gained them fraudulently on the basis of false revision reports.
In late 2010, the technicians issued a report declaring the solar plants capable of operation though they knew that the plants were still incomplete and still under construction. Another technician later used the same report, only with a changed date, to confirm the plants’ capability of operation.
The ERU later launched proceedings on reopening the licensing procedure, which threatened to withdraw the two suspicious licences. The proceedings, however, were halted by Vitaskova on the recommendation from Schneiderova.
The High Court has dealt with the case since last week.
Neither Vitaskova nor Schneiderova appeared in court to personally to hear the verdict.
