The European Prosecutor's Office announces plea agreements in a fraud case involving public procurement in the Czech Republic

Ten suspects pleaded guilty in an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Ostrava regarding the fraud of public procurement for road cleaning services and marketing in the Moravia-Silesia region. The case concerns tenders organized between 2020 and 2023 by two public entities, partially funded by European funds, in which the procedures were allegedly manipulated to favor previously selected bidders.

Ten suspects pleaded guilty in an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Ostrava regarding the fraud of public procurement for road cleaning services and marketing in the Czech Republic. The case concerns tenders organized between 2020 and 2023 by the Road Administration of the Moravia-Silesia region and the Moravian Energy Center, in procedures partially funded by European funds.

In brief

Ten suspects pleaded guilty in a public procurement fraud case investigated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Ostrava.

The tenders concerned road cleaning services and marketing, organized between 2020 and 2023 by two public entities in the Moravia-Silesia region.

The procedures were allegedly manipulated to favor previously selected bidders, who allegedly paid bribes to obtain the contracts.

A former deputy governor of the Moravia-Silesia region accepted an agreement that provides for a three-year suspended sentence, a five-year probation period, and a fine of approximately 103,000 euros.

The total value of the financial penalties agreed with the accused individuals amounts to 311,000 euros, and the agreements must be approved by the regional court in Ostrava.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced that all previously indicted suspects in this investigation pleaded guilty. According to the institution, the awarding procedures were allegedly manipulated to favor bidders selected before the tenders, who allegedly paid bribes to obtain public contracts.

One of the accused is a former deputy governor of the Moravia-Silesia region. The plea agreement concluded with the former public official provides for a three-year suspended prison sentence and a five-year probation period, subject to court approval.

According to the agreement, the former official will have a five-year ban on receiving subsidies and participating in public procurement procedures. He also accepted to pay a financial penalty of approximately 103,000 euros, equivalent to 2.5 million Czech crowns.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office specifies that the former official has returned approximately 20,000 euros from the total damage of approximately 29,000 euros attributed to him. The difference was compensated by other suspects involved in the case.

Other nine indicted individuals accepted combinations of suspended sentences and financial penalties. In some cases, the agreements also provide for bans on receiving subsidies and participating in public procurement procedures, measures aimed at limiting future access to contracts and public funding.

The criminal proceedings have been conditionally suspended for three other suspects, accused of subsidy fraud and attempted credit fraud. Each of them must pay approximately 2,000 euros, equivalent to 50,000 Czech crowns, to support the victims of crime.

The total value of the financial penalties agreed with all accused individuals is approximately 311,000 euros, equivalent to 7.525 million Czech crowns. The plea agreements will be submitted in the coming days to the regional court in Ostrava, which must decide whether to approve them.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office emphasizes that all individuals involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent courts in the Czech Republic. The institution is the independent prosecutor's office of the European Union responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to trial crimes that affect the financial interests of the European Union.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/stiri/parchetul-european-anunta-acorduri-de-recunoastere-a-vinovatiei-intr-un-dosar-de-frauda-cu-achizitii-publice-in-cehia