Three people have been charged with subsidy and procurement fraud, in an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Zlín (Czechia) into suspected manipulation of a public contract at the National History Museum in Olomouc. The defendants are a public official who worked for the museum and another two former employees.
The accusations relate to the project 'Virtual museum in education – the use of new digital technologies in the connection of formal and informal education', financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds, Operational Programme for Research, Development and Education, and granted by the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The estimated damage is of approximately €560 000 (CZK 14 million).
According to the evidence, at least 14 members of the team ostensibly working on the project did not carry out any activities. In addition, two of the defendants are accused of unduly favouring a specific supplier during the procedure to award the public contract of the project. One person is also charged with the offence of abuse of authority by an official.
One of the defendants had already been accused of passive corruption and money laundering (see our press release published on 30 November 2021).
In order to recover the damage to the EU budget, the Czech Police – National Centre against Organized Crime (Národní centrála proti organizovanému zločinu - NCOZ), on behaf of the EPPO, seized assets and real estate worth €600 000 (CZK 15 million).
If convicted, the defendants face prison sentences ranging from 5 to 10 years.