Prague 18 election candidate list: police probe a forged signature

A woman from Prague 18 has found her name on the list of candidates in the current municipal elections, although she knew nothing about it and says the signature on the consent form is not hers. Prague police spokesman Jan Danek said the case has been reclassified as a crime: obstruction of the preparation and conduct of elections and referendums.

According to Danek, the investigation is continuing and one person has already been questioned. Police have received no other similar complaints in connection with these municipal elections.

Someone else’s signature on the consent form

The woman discovered her name on the list of the Krásné Letňany party, which she says she would never have voted for. “I am outraged, and it is also an insult to my honor. Neighbors have already been asking me about it,” she said. The Prague 18 registration office confirmed that a candidacy consent statement bearing this woman’s signature was attached to the list. The office did not check whether the signature was genuine, as the law does not require it to.

“That was not my signature,” the woman says, although she has not yet seen the document itself. She filed a complaint with police and spent about three hours there. Since then, she says, nobody has contacted her, including anyone from the political group itself. She says she has already found out who put her on the list, but because the investigation is ongoing she did not want to name the person. She would like to receive financial compensation from that person.

Who is responsible for the list

The list’s authorized representative, Jiří Bílek, said that collecting signatures from individual candidates was not part of his duties. He did not specify who obtained the woman’s consent or whether anyone inside the group checked how she came to be on the list. He believes it is right to hand the matter to the competent authorities and is ready to help police.

The list was headed by businessman Pavel Sechnal. Through his lawyer, Jiří Velíšek, he said he was not personally involved in organizing or drawing up the list. In the lawyer’s view, the authorized representative, Bílek, is responsible for compiling the list and for any violations that may be proven, and his client cannot be linked to them directly or indirectly.

Billionaire Sechnal has led the Aliance pro budoucnost party since 2016 and served as a Prague 18 district councillor in 2018–2022. His SPGroup includes, for example, the Aquapalace Praha sports and wellness complex.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz