Czech anticorruption police are investigating a suspicious sale of properties by the state railway organization České dráhy (ČD). In 2007, ČD sold two connected buildings in Opletalova street in Prague 1 to the company called Apuro, based in Nymburk, for CZK 203m. Three years later the company sold the property to Charles University at twice the price, without having invested in them. The acquisition was financed by the Ministry of Education through a CZK 372m subsidy. The owner of Apuro, Otakar Otto, went bankrupt a year after the sale, writes the economic daily Hospodářské noviny. What is striking is the difference in experts’ opinion about the value of the buildings. While ČD insists it did not sell the property below market value, as it was assessed by experts at CZK 121m, Charles university argues it did not overpay, citing three evaluations around CZK 400m three years later.
