The Czech Court of Appeal will once again deal with the case of former official of the Prague Land Office, Jan Horák, in the case of the restitution of the so-called Bečvář’s farm. The former clerk was already acquitted of abuse of power in connection with the settlement of a restitution claim, but the Supreme Court upheld the plaintiffs last December and overturned the acquittal.
Horák, together with his superiors Eva Benešová and Petr Chmelík, were accused of illegally awarding the now deceased Emilia Bednářová and other restituents replacement land for real estate originally belonging to Jan Maria Bečvář and causing damage of at least CZK 1.4 billion. The court of first instance unjustifiably punished the former official with seven years in prison. Benešová received a six-year and Chmelík one-year suspended sentence.
However, the Prague High Court of Appeal acquitted Horák of the charges. According to the court, he did not act intentionally and, moreover, only developed concepts for restitution. He did not make any decisions in the matter, his documents had to be signed and checked by his superiors. Benešová and Chmelík left the Court of Appeal with conditions. According to the Senate, they did not commit an intentional crime either. However, in the case of Benešová, the Supreme Court also annulled the verdict.
The three officials confessed to the court from several decisions from 2009 to 2012. Bednářová and in some cases other restitutors received lucrative land on their basis as compensation for the fact that the state did not return the property to them after Bečvář in Strašnice and Žižkov. Horák described Bednář as the niece of Jan Maria Bečvář, although she was only entitled to an inheritance from his brother Josef, who introduced her in the will. Other restituents, in turn, could only inherit from his sister.
After the Bečvář’s siblings, the restituents acquired land in Prague worth an estimated three billion crowns.
Source: CTK
