Civic Democrat MP sentenced to five years for corruption

The Prague High Court has sentenced Civic Democrat MP Roman Pekárek to five years in prison for bribery and abuse of office. As deputy mayor of Kolín, central Bohemia, Pekárek allegedly received a one million crown bribe for selling municipal land to a businessman under price. While the price was officially set at 41 million crowns, Pekárek pushed through a 15 million crown deal, arguing that the value of the land substantially decreased due to the economic crisis. Pekárek received a six year sentence from a lower court in May, but he appealed the verdict. The verdict of the Prague High Court is definitive.