Former Railway CEO Jiří Svoboda Charged in Multi-Million CZK Tender Corruption

The National Centre Against Organized Crime (NCOZ) has charged five individuals with obtaining undue advantage in a public procurement process of Správa železnic, the Czech railway administration. Among the accused is former general director Jiří Svoboda, who was removed from the board after the investigation. Police discovered cash exceeding 80 million CZK during searches of Svoboda’s premises, which he claimed came from lifelong family savings. The case also involves alleged irregularities in billion‑CZK tenders for projects such as the reconstruction of the Pardubice railway hub and the construction of the Brno station. Prosecutor Tomáš Kučera announced the charges, and the supervisory board appointed Tomáš Tóth as Svoboda’s replacement.

The investigation, which began after police raids on Správa železnic and the Road and Motorway Directorate in late 2022, focuses on potential financial claims and inflated contract values, though the latter are not part of the current indictment.