Prague, Nov 27 (CTK) – Fugitive controversial Czech businessman Radovan Krejcir was sentenced to 15 years for an attempted siphoning off assets from the state firm Cepro and the preparation of a customs officer´s murder by the Prague Municipal Court on Friday, but the verdict is not yet valid.
The sentence includes previous punishments for the tax evasion of half a billion crowns and other crimes of which he was convicted in the past.
Krejcir has been taken into custody in South Africa and the Czech Republic is seeking his extradition.
The court also imposed a five-year prison sentence on Cepro´s former commercial director Martin Pechan.
According to the court, Krejcir together with Pechan should jointly pay a damage of more than 18 million crowns and default interests to Cepro.
The court gave a five-year sentence to Ales Zagora, who was also allegedly a member of Krejcir´s organised gang and four other members were given two- and three-year suspended sentences.
The court decided not to punish three members of Krejcir´s alleged gang and a Cerpro clerk.
Krejcir escaped during a search of his luxury villa in Cernosice near Prague in 2005. He left with his wife and son for the Seychelles and later he moved to South Africa.
He was taken into custody in South Africa and is now tried for attempted murder, kidnapping and drug possession. Krejcir has also been charged with other crimes in the country.
