One of the defendants in the Central Group case has confessed

Prague - The main hearing in the case of former Central Group CEO Aleš Novotný and three other individuals charged with tax evasion continued today with further interrogations. Between 2004 and 2010, the men allegedly intentionally inserted false invoices into the company's accounting, causing the state a loss of nearly 177 million crowns. One of the defendants, managing director of the companies H.Q. Print and Duosprint, Luděk Jůza, admitted to issuing fictitious invoices.
In addition to Jůza and Novotný, the charges also involve the business manager of MPI - Marketing & Consulting, Andrii Gindriuk, and Jaroslav Kukla. The former CEO of Central Group allegedly obtained false invoices, according to prosecutor Jarmila Pavlová. The other defendants either issued tax documents or facilitated their issuance. This involved hundreds of invoices for work for Central Group that were never actually performed by the companies. The men allegedly reduced value-added tax and lowered the taxable base for income tax calculation.
According to Pavlová, the greatest damage was caused by Novotný together with Jůza and Kukla. Kukla allegedly facilitated contact between the CEO of Central Group and the managing director of H.Q. Print and Duosprint. The companies purportedly pretended to create catalogs, promotional materials, and provide other marketing services for Central Group.
"Overall, I agree with the indictment," Jůza said today. He stated that Kukla offered him several years ago to issue invoices for a commission, initially for printed materials, and later for marketing campaigns for Central Group. He reportedly handed the tax documents to Kukla and subsequently received money for these fictitious services into the accounts of H.Q. Print and Duosprint. He always withdrew the amounts from the accounts, kept five or six percent for himself, and handed the rest back to Kukla.
What happened to the money afterward, he claimed not to know. He assumes that Kukla also took a certain percentage and handed the remaining funds to Novotný. Jůza mentioned that he met the CEO of Central Group once at a party, and then only when he started having problems with the tax office. However, in recent months he reportedly sent invoices directly to him.
Novotný already completely denied the charges on Monday. He stated that he only formally signed the invoices that the prosecutors claimed were false and served solely to reduce the taxable base. People from the relevant departments were supposed to check them. He characterized Jůza's statement today as untrustworthy. The idea that Kukla handed over money to him is, according to him, merely the man's assumption. His lawyer pointed out that Jůza had changed his testimony several times at the police station. "I reject any connection of my person with criminal activity," Kukla also responded to Jůza's testimony.
Gindriuk, who according to the indictment allowed the establishment of the companies Aive, BH, and Bret due to tax fraud, which also issued invoices for supplier services to Central Group, denied his guilt today. He claimed to have never had any agreement with Novotný, nor does he know him. The same was stated by the former CEO of Central Group on Monday.
According to the indictment, all four men attempted to conduct further tax evasion amounting to approximately 20 million. However, because the police apprehended them in October 2010, they did not have time to include some invoices in their tax return. They are accused of the crime of tax evasion, fees, and similar mandatory payments. If convicted, they face up to ten years in prison. The former CEO of Central Group is in custody.