The court will begin to address the case of Central Group

Prague - The Prague Municipal Court will today begin hearing the case of former Central Group CEO Aleš Novotný and three other individuals accused of extensive tax evasion. Between 2004 and 2010, the men allegedly intentionally entered false invoices into the company's accounting and deprived the state of nearly 180 million crowns. If convicted, they face up to ten years in prison.
    The other defendants in the case are Luděk Jůza, managing director of H.Q. Print and Duosprint, Andrii Gindriuk, sales manager at MPI - Marketing & Consulting, and Jaroslav Kukla. According to prosecutors, the group managed to defraud the state of approximately 177 million crowns in taxes. Novotný allegedly obtained the false invoices, while the other defendants issued or facilitated the issuance of these documents. They were invoices for work purportedly done for Central Group, which was never performed by the companies.
    The men reportedly attempted to commit additional tax evasion amounting to nearly 20 million crowns. However, after the police arrested them in October 2010, they were unable to include some invoices in their tax return.
    The accused allegedly reduced value-added tax and lowered the tax base for calculating income tax. According to previous statements from the public prosecutor's office, they created about 700 fictitious invoices. They are charged with the crime of tax, fee, and similar mandatory payment evasion. The former CEO of Central Group is in custody.