Bečva River cyanide poisoning culprit identified, forensic expert says

Those responsible for last year’s cyanide poisoning of the Bečva River have been identified, forensic expert Jiří Klicpera, who is working on a police investigation, told Czech Television in an interview that aired on Monday evening.

He confirmed that it was not the nearby Deza chemical company owned by the Agrofert concern founded by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. But he would not comment further on who was responsible for the environmental disaster, citing a duty of confidentiality.

The September 2020 poisoning killed all living organisms along a 40-km stretch of the Bečva River, including over 32,000 tons of fish. In December, police investigating the contamination of the river were focussing on the Rožnov wastewater treatment plant, where they detained several people for questioning. The nearby Tesla plant was also investigated.