Former Náchod mayor cleared of charges related to brewery privatization

The former mayor of the east Bohemian town Náchod, Oldřich Čtvretčka, has been cleared of charges of abuse of office related to the 2009 privatization of a local brewery. A court in Hradec Králové on Thursday overturned a previous verdict which in 2010 banned Mr Čtvrtečka from holing public offices for a period of six years. The town’s former mayor was charged in connection with the fact that during his term, the town sold the brewery for 150 million crowns although another bidder offered 35 million more. But on Thursday, the court said the alleged offence was not a crime.