Largest Czech construction company banned from public tenders for three years

The largest Czech construction business Metrostav, as well as its daughter company Metrostav Infrastructure, have been banned from taking part in public tenders and fulfilling public contracts for a period of three years after a ruling at the High Court in Prague on Tuesday.

The court found Metrostav guilty of bribery and manipulation with public tenders in relation to the reconstruction of a pavilion in Kolín Hospital as well as in the redevelopment of Kladno Hospital. The company has also been issued a CZK 10 million fine.

The case was connected to a corruption case that took place when former Social Democrat politician David Rath was the Governor of Central Bohemia. Mr Rath’s previous seven year sentence was also extended by a year by the court, meaning that he will have to return to prison.

David Rath served as Governor of the Central Bohemian Region from 2008 to 2012. In 2012, he was caught in the act of accepting a bribe and, following a drawn out court case, received a seven-year-long sentence in 2019.