Metrostav CZK 150 Million Bribery Case: Private Detective Testifies Behind Closed Doors

At a Prague court, private detective Robert Plevač testified for the first time in two years of proceedings in the case of former judge Zdeněk Sovák, accused of attempting to solicit a bribe of up to CZK 150 million from construction giant Metrostav. Plevač allegedly acted as a go-between in the alleged corruption scheme and asked to testify behind closed doors — even Metrostav's lawyers, who were present as members of the public, had to be removed from the courtroom.

Judge Libor Holý first demanded a written justification specifying exactly what and whom Plevač intended to discuss and what risks an open hearing might pose, and only then granted the request — an exceptional move given that Czech court hearings are legally required to be public.

CZK 50 Million Each

Sovák, 76, a former judge at Prague's High Court who also previously served at the Supreme Court in Brno, is accused of attempting to extract up to CZK 150 million from Metrostav in exchange for a reduced sentence for the company. The money was never actually handed over, but under Czech law, the criminal scheme itself is punishable regardless.

As a reminder: in 2020, Metrostav received a non-final conviction for corruption in the case of former Central Bohemian Region governor David Rath — the company lost the right to participate in public tenders, which had formed the backbone of its multi-billion-crown business. According to the prosecution, it was precisely this ban that Sovák was supposed to overturn, either through his own panel at the High Court or via a "friendly" judge.

According to testimony in court, detective Plevač first approached a Metrostav lawyer with an offer: CZK 50 million each for Sovák, for Plevač himself, and for the female lawyer — in exchange for a lighter sentence for the company. The lawyer immediately reported this to management. It also emerged that, independently, one of Metrostav's former managers had tried to establish contact with Judge Sovák.

So the company had known for months about suspicious activity surrounding its case, yet only filed a police report in November 2020 — a month before Sovák and other suspects were arrested en masse. Metrostav has said that for a long time it regarded the vague hints as either a provocation or baseless rumor, and only went to the police once the offers became more persistent.

The Other Defendants

Besides Sovák and Plevač, the case also involves: Milan Biba — a repeat-offender con man and friend of Sovák's who, according to investigators, was the main negotiator in the bribery scheme; Charlotte Mulenová — Biba's girlfriend, who police say "laundered" a CZK 900,000 deposit through a bank account (the money had been planted by police as part of a sting operation); and Gagik Tonyan — a businessman of Armenian origin, who allegedly gave Sovák a painting worth CZK 15,000 in exchange for an acquittal in an extortion case.

According to investigators, through yet another former police officer, Sovák and Biba simultaneously attempted to squeeze an additional CZK 50 million out of Metrostav.

Sovák has previously said that during the period he was under surveillance, he was drinking heavily while struggling to cope with his wife's death, and claimed he does not remember much from that time — despite continuing to preside over serious cases at the High Court. The judge suffers from severe diabetes and undergoes regular dialysis, which has repeatedly delayed court sessions.

A verdict in Sovák's case could be delivered before the end of the year. The former judge faces up to 12 years in prison.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz