Top court upholds prison term for ex-boss of EU funds distribution agency

The Czech Supreme Court has upheld a sentence of five years in prison for Petr Kušnierz, the former head of the country’s regional operational programme North-West, the news agency ČTK reported on Friday. Along with two accomplices, Mr Kusnierz was in 2012 found guilty of demanding bribes from applicants for EU funding, and sentenced to 7.5 years in jail. An appellate court later lowered his sentence to 5 years. His two accomplices landed suspended sentences. Pertr Kušnier also faces charges of manipulating the selection procedures of projects to receive EU funding; prosecution claims he and his collaborators manipulated funding of around 1.4 billion crowns.

Author: Jan Richter