Despite the signaled errors, according to the conclusion of the police investigators, the head of the court did not take any corrective steps and, based on documents from Řeháček, appointed dozens of experts who therefore did not have the necessary education, knowledge or experience.
The case, which was dealt with by the detectives of the anti-mafia unit based on the criminal complaint of the former Minister of Justice Maria Benešová, ended without the culprits being punished. “The case was postponed by our department,” Jaroslav Ibehej, spokesman for the National Center Against Organized Crime (NCOZ), said without further details.
The statute of limitations has expired
From another source, Právo found out that the police were convinced of the guilt of both Řeháček and Tripes, but could not charge them. In the case of Řeháček, it was not possible to initiate a criminal prosecution due to his death. “Criminal responsibility for the president of the court, on the other hand, expired with the expiration of the statute of limitations, which for the offense of obstructing the task of an official due to negligence is three years and which expired last May,” the source explained.
The expert botched the report, he was fined
Homemade
Everything was supposed to take place between May 2018 and May of the following year. At that time, almost seventy applicants received the expert stamp, who therefore did not meet the legal conditions. Řeháček processed the documents for their appointment, and Tripes had the final say.
“Failure to meet the conditions for the appointment of an expert shows all the elements of the criminal offense of abuse of power by an official, including the subjective side in the form of at least indirect intent,” said Pilsen prosecutor Pavlína Kropáčková, who oversaw the investigation of the case. According to her, Řeháček must have understood that the incompetent persons, who were entered into the list of experts through his influence, thereby obtained an unjustified benefit.
“Expert activity is a form of business that also brings material benefit,” the plaintiff explained. She also emphasized that the suspected official violated his duties fundamentally and for a long time in many cases.
Investigators do not know Řeháček’s motive. However, they did not prove that he received money or other consideration for his recommendations. He said he had no direct or indirect ties to the privileged expert. The exception was the case when he had his son appointed as an expert, who also did not meet the appropriate criteria. Řeháček himself also acted as an expert.
The detectives also did not find that the unauthorized experts gave incorrect, defective or tendentious opinions. The Ministry of Justice later rushed to rectify the situation and removed illegally obtained expert stamps in dozens of cases as part of review proceedings.
“I Didn’t Suspect Him”
“I had no reason not to trust him. For many years he went to various trainings, so I assumed that he knew perfectly the methodology that the Ministry of Justice issued in this area. I did not suspect him of any wrongdoing, there was no reason for that,” Tripes told Práv earlier.
According to him, Řeháček was the only one who managed the agenda of the experts and interpreters at the court. “I wouldn’t suspect him of any malicious intent. I see it more like he found himself at the end of his strength. He himself apologized to me for that,” Tripes concluded. According to the detectives, however, Tripes knew about specific errors in Řeháček’s work when he was alerted to them by ministry officials after a background check in May 2018.
“Nevertheless, he subsequently did not check in any way whether the alleged deficiencies were no longer occurring. “The president of the court could easily ascertain whether the candidate for expert meets the professional requirements, for example, by simply looking at his personal file,” the police officers stated.
Tripes defends itself by saying that Řeháček, after inspecting the officials and the detected misconduct, warned Řeháček verbally to avoid similar misconduct in the future. “I had no reason to believe that he could repeat his misconduct, and that is why I did not check the files after him,” concluded the former president of the regional court.
The businessman was saved from prison by reports of a serious illness, even though he traveled and played sports. The police found no wrongdoing
Homemade
