Justice Ministry sends request for Pitr’s extradition

The Justice Ministry sent an official request to Switzerland on Friday for the extradition of wanted Czech businessman Tomáš Pitr – who has been avoiding justice in the form of two prison sentences for tax fraud and embezzlement. His whereabouts had been unknown since 2007, but he was arrested recently by Swiss police while at a recreation centre in St Moritz. Mr Pitr, his lawyer said, maintains he is innocent, saying he fled the Czech Republic for fear of his life. Pitr was a close associate of the late businessman Frantíšek Mrázek, who was considered a major figure in the Czech underworld but was killed by a sniper’s bullet. There has been speculation that Mr Pitr may have obtained a wealth of compromising material on business figures and politicians which Mrázek compiled, ČTK said. It is expected that Mr Pitr's extradition could take up to one year.