(Luxembourg, 24 February 2025) – In a probe led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in České Budějovice (Czechia), law enforcement officers have arrested 22 individuals and carried out 46 searches today.
According to the investigation, 16 suspects systematically exploited public procurement processes by demanding and providing illicit financial gains for the implementation of contracts for the Motol University Hospital in Prague, the biggest hospital in Czechia.
There is reason to believe that serious corruption has affected the implementation of projects financed or co-financed by the EU through the Czech National Recovery Plan and the European Cohesion Fund (Operational Programme for the Environment 2014-2020), with a total value of over €160 million (CZK 4 billion).
To gather further evidence, more than 350 police officers carried out 46 searches all over Czechia, including the hospital, commercial premises and one law firm.
Charges were brought against 16 suspects for corruption, subsidy fraud, damaging the financial interests of the EU and money laundering (each suspect facing charges based on their individual involvement).
The investigation and the searches counted on the support of the Police of the Czech Republic’s National Organized Crime Agency (NCOZ) (Policie České republiky, Národní centrála proti organizovanému zločinu služby kriminální policie a kriminální policie a vyšetřování) and its Rapid Response Unit (Útvar rychlého nasazení).
All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Czech courts of law.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.