Prague, Aug 18 (CTK) – The Czech police have proposed that nine individuals and eight firms be charged in another branch of the corruption case of former regional governor, MP and ex-minister David Rath, including him, police spokesman Jaroslav Ibehej told CTK yesterday.
The police have passed the criminal files about manipulated public orders placed by the Central Bohemian Region, which was headed by Rath, and a regional hospital to a state attorney of the Prague High State Attorney’s Office, said Ibehej, spokesman for the Squad for Uncovering Corruption and Financial Crime.
According to the detectives, the suspects asked for bribes of 66.4 million crowns of which they took over 3.4 million.
In the first part of the case, Rath was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison and the forfeiture of some 20 million crowns for corruption connected with public orders in July. He appealed the verdict.
Another ten people were charged along with Rath in this case.
In the other part of the Rath case, investigators more focused on firms.
The police have proposed that individuals and firms be charged with arranging for an advantage in placing a public order, in a public tender and a public auction, scheming in placing a public order and in a public tender, harming the European Union’s financial interests, bribing and taking a bribe, Ibehej said.
The files on the case contain more than 20,000 sheets, he added.
The largest Czech construction company, Metrostav, is one of the firms entangled in the case. Its management denies any connection with the Rath case.
The media reported previously that the accusations concerned, for instance, tenders for Central Bohemian hospitals in Kladno, Mlada Boleslav and Kolin and supplies of cars fro the Central Bohemia rescue service.
($1=24.339 crowns)
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