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Primátorka Brna, Markéta Vaňková, svědčila u soudu o prodeji městských prostor bez povolení. Vaňková popírá úplatek 1,2 milionu korun od Pavla Hubálka. Čtyři lidé čelí obviněním z korupce a podvodu. Soud je odložen na 11. března. Případ zahrnuje i další obviněné ze snahy o uplácení.
Translation
The Mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková, testified in court about the sale of municipal properties without authorisation. Vaňková denies accepting a bribe of 1.2 million Czech crowns from Pavel Hubálek. Four people face charges of corruption and fraud. The court has been adjourned until 11th March. The case also involves other defendants accused of attempting to offer bribes.
Exercise: Text comprehension
Question 1: Who testified in court about the unauthorized sale of city spaces?
Markéta Vaňková, the Mayor of Brno, testified in court.
Question 2: When is the court case postponed to?
The court case is postponed to March 11th.
Exercise: Vocabulary
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▌01/02/2025
The Mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková, appeared before a city court to address allegations connecting her to a controversy involving the allocation of municipal properties. Vaňková, who testified as a witness and faces no charges, firmly denied accepting any money related to the case, which concerns the allocation of non-residential spaces on Hlinky Street.
The court case centres around the alleged sale of municipal properties without proper entitlement by a group of individuals. Four people are facing charges, including Monika Janošková and former mayor of Rojetín, Pavel Hubálek. The accusations involve Janošková, alongside co-accused Denisa Hlubocká, allegedly attempting to sell these municipal spaces, held by the Brno-střed district, without having rightful ownership.
One of the key contentions raised by Hubálek is that he allegedly provided Vaňková with 1.2 million Czech korunas in what he described as a bribe intended to facilitate the re-assignment of rental contracts to selected individuals. Vaňková has repeatedly dismissed these claims, stating that she had no legal link to the spaces in question. "It is unclear why financial compensation would even be necessary since no ownership transfer was possible," Vaňková explained.
Brno Mayor Denies Involvement in Property Scandal (Illustration)
The property dispute involves non-residential spaces located in a distinguished building in Brno, rented by Vaňková's brother-in-law, Ondřej Vaněk, with plans to convert these into two separate apartments. One of these was reportedly intended for Vaňková's family; however, she confirmed that the notion was abandoned in favour of purchasing another property. Hubálek claimed the money was paid to ensure the apartments were allocated to other designated individuals instead.
Alongside the bribery allegations, there are multiple charges of fraud and corruption involving other defendants. Janošková, for instance, is accused of committing fraud, while her co-accused, Hlubocká, is charged with complicity in bribery. Two other defendants, Petr Hýža and Renata Marečková, who allegedly agreed to pay a bribe of 3.9 million korunas to secure a lease for developing a plastic surgery clinic on the premises, are charged with bribery, although the transaction was ultimately reversed.
Vaňková highlighted that the Brno-střed council, where she served at the time, had initially granted her brother-in-law the lease to the premises in 2012, while emphasizing the decision was later reconsidered. Though there is no concrete evidence tying the mayor directly to any wrongdoing, the case continues to stir public interest, with the court adjourning the trial until 11th March, when further testimonies are anticipated.
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