RADOVAN KREJCIR IN THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

Czech fugitive billionaire faces new charges in Czech Republic

Prague - The Ostrava, north Moravia, Regional State Attorney Office has brought new charges against fugitive billionaire Radovan Krejcir who was previously accused of extensive fraud in the Czech Republic, daily Pravo writes.

The new charges concern the events of 1997 when Krejcir allegedly transferred a combined 270 million crowns from the Czech Republic abroad via a Swiss bank with the help of illegal transactions, the paper says.

According to the daily, the movement of the money in the account at the Union Bank of Switzerland in Geneva is the main proof of the illegal deal.

“We have documents concerning all the transactions thanks to the Swiss side that broke the banking secrecy that is otherwise strictly protected in this country,” state attorney Dusan Taborsky told Pravo.

If the Swiss bank had refused to provide the information it would have been difficult to prove Krejcir’s involvement in the dubious transaction, Taborsky said.

The state attorney charged Krejcir with misuse of information in trade relationship for which he faces 5 to 12 years in prison.

“With the help of two interconnected companies Krejcir transferred the money to the Swiss bank. He then used the money to buy shares of an international company from the Seychelles,” Taborsky said.

“However, in our opinion, the value of the shares does not correspond to the sum transferred to the bank and the rest of the money then flew further to Krejcir’s companies abroad or was used for other transactions,” he said.

Krejcir, who is suspected of many serious crimes in the Czech Republic, fled to the Seychelles Islands in June 2005 where he now stays with his family. He is prosecuted as fugitive.

Krejcir has been convicted by Czech courts twice in absentia. However, the Czech Justice Ministry has so far in vain demanded Krejcir’s extradition by the Seychelles where he and members of his family have citizenship.

Locally, Mr. Radovan Krejcir has redrawn his application before the court requesting that the immigration authority be ordered to issue fresh Seychelles passport for himself and his family in their new names, which had been change through a European process known as deed-poll, but which is  inconsistent with local legislations.   The request for judicial recognition of this procedure was presented by France Bonte - the former Constitutional Appointements Authority chairman, SPPF Central Committee Member and  former Lawyer to SPPF President  France Albert Rene.

February 16, 2007
Copyright 2007: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles