Billionaire Pelc had earlier drink-driving ban before fatal crash

Czech billionaire entrepreneur Pelc had five entries on his driver's record even before the fatal crash in June 2025, and had previously lost his licence for drink-driving. This was reported by the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office (NSZ) in response to criticism of a prosecutor by the Supreme Court.

What is known about Pelc's past

According to the indictment, Pelc's driver's record contained five entries, two of them for speeding in a built-up area. He had also previously been given a ban on driving for driving under the influence of alcohol. These details had not been known to the wider public until now.

It was these earlier offences, together with the fatal outcome of the crash, that led the prosecutor to reject a plea agreement, the NSZ said. Pelc expressed interest in such an agreement through his defence lawyer in December last year.

The dispute with the Supreme Court

The NSZ statement was prompted by the written reasoning of the Supreme Court's decision. The court reproached the Rakovník prosecutor for failing to respond to the defence's motions before filing the indictment. The NSZ disagrees: in its version of events, the prosecutor acted correctly and considered both motions in writing in a notice dated 19 January this year.

Besides refusing a plea agreement, the prosecutor also rejected the January motion to drop the case on health grounds. In her assessment, the medical documents submitted did not prove that further prosecution was impermissible. “The Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office does not challenge the Supreme Court's decision and respects it,” the office stressed, but it felt it necessary to clarify a disputed statement in the court's ruling.

How the case ended

Pelc was prosecuted over a crash in June 2025 in which the driver of an oncoming car died. The courts ultimately halted the criminal prosecution because of a serious oncological illness. The Supreme Court then rejected an appeal on points of law filed by the head of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, and the discontinuation of the case stood.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz