Court says Prague villa belonged to wanted fugitive and his wife both

A Prague district court on Monday refused to strike from legal proceedings an abandoned Prague villa belonging to fugitive businessman Radovan Krejčíř, being sued by a company which says it was owed 50 million crowns. Krejčíř evaded justice in the Czech Republic in 2005; today, he faces criminal charges in South Africa. His wife, Kateřina, had argued the Prague villa was hers alone, allegedly bought for 23 million crowns from funds provided by her father-in-law. The court maintained the property, which could be sold in an auction, belonged to both the husband and wife and was paid for from their own earnings. The villa has reportedly fallen into disrepair since 2005; experts estimated the property as being worth some 400 million crowns.