News

A total of fourteen people and five companies have been charged with tender rigging, tax evasion and other offenses in a case of large-scale fraud. The criminal network  involved people from four regions, specifically Ústí nad Labem, Karlovy Vary, Central Bohemia and Moravia-Silesia.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office among those charged are  the mayor of Chomutov, Marek Hrabáč, who could face up to twelve years in prison if found guilty, the director of the Chomutov Zoopark, Věra Fryčová and the CEO of the Ústí Region's Road Maintenance Administration Libor Tačner .

The Prague Municipal Court on Tuesday sentenced former Czech soldier Filip Siman to seven years in jail for looting during war operations in Ukraine.  Twenty-seven-year-old Siman said in his defense that he went to help Ukraine because his ancestors came from that country and argued that he took things from Ukrainian homes on the orders of his superiors. However the court had videos that he himself filmed of his looting expeditions in which he was excited and unbashed when stealing special forces berets, jewelry, money, sunglasses and weapons from dead people.  Siman previously spent two years as a professional soldier in the Czech army. He joined the Ukrainian volunteer battalion Carpathian Sich at the end of March 2022 without getting permission from the Czech president. The verdict is not binding.

Recruitment agencies and the Czech Labour Office are expanding their activities in retraining people who have lost their job to those who are open to the idea of new challenges and a career change. It is offering requalification courses to people who are currently employed. According to Labour Office head Daniel Krištof more than 20, 000 people have enrolled in the courses in the first six months of this year, which is almost two-fifths more than a year ago. The participants are mostly aged between 35 and 55. The Labour Office is thus gradually preparing employees for changes on the labour market linked to AI.

Nikolai Lischenyuk, a key ally of Russian Patriarch Kirill and leader of the Russian Orthodox Church in Czechia, has been expelled by Czech authorities due to national security concerns. The news site Deník N reports that the intelligence services indicated his activities posed a threat to the state. Lischenyuk’s permanent residency was revoked, and he was ordered to leave the country. This move underscores the Czech Republic’s vigilance against potential security risks associated with foreign nationals. The decision reflects broader geopolitical tensions and the scrutiny of Russian influence in Europe.