The seemingly endless corruption scandal involving the former regional governor of Central Bohemia David Rath has concluded, surprisingly, with the disgraced politician being sentenced to 8.5 years in prison. Rath has vowed to fight the verdict, although he was caught red-handed with stacks of cash in his car and further suspicious funds stored in his house. In all, he was conviced of embezzling around CZK 22m. Rath is accused of helping to drive up the price for the reconstruction of the Buštěhrad Castle west of Prague. An initial tender was cancelled to be followed by another in which the final price tag was CZK 50m more expensive. It’s a rare victory for the Czech judiciary, but one which will be welcomed by many in the real estate sector who complain that corruption in the country has had a tendency to worsen in recent years.
