According to the chairwoman of the Board of Appeal, Kateřina Jonáková, it was clear from all witness statements that it was Vaněk who took care of the ÚZSVM’s public outreach at the office.
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“It was fully in his competence to strive for a positive media image of the office,” she said. According to Vanek, the company E-Centrum significantly assisted, for example, in a dispute with the company for the production of blood plasma Diag Human or in asserting a Czech claim in the case of the Most Coal Company.
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According to Jonáková, the court of first instance rebuked the former CEO for not following the rules in public procurement. However, the amounts were not subject to the Public Procurement Act with their amounts.
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“The finding court mistakenly considered not announcing the tender to be an illegal procedure,” she said. She added that it had not even been proven that contracts were overpriced. According to her, the expert opinion did not determine what the usual price is for similar services. “The expert failed in this regard,” she said.
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Questioning loyalty
Vaněk, 69, who was threatened with imprisonment for up to 12 years, denied guilt in the case from the beginning. He said in court on Monday that he had been greatly affected by the entire prosecution and that he was very upset about questioning his loyalty. According to his statement, he did not make a single significant mistake during his entire long-term tenure in office.
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Vaněk led the ÚZSVM from 2003 until 2014, when he resigned. Investigators alleged that he repeatedly abused his powers from March 2005 to March 2014 when concluding contracts with E-Centrum. It was to provide the Office with advice on communication with the public and the media, but according to the applicants, the services coincided with the activities of the Communications Department and had no benefit for the Office.
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The Office paid the company a total of 7.1 million crowns, of which the company paid 1.2 million as VAT.
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