Former Czech president's driver challenges conviction for drunk-driving crash

Vojtěch Kopp, a former officer with the Czech president's protection service who caused a drunk-driving crash in February last year, has refused to accept his final conviction and has turned to the Supreme Court. This was confirmed by Adam Holeček, spokesman for the District Court in Náchod.

Before the summer break, the Regional Court in Hradec Králové had already upheld the lower court's ruling: the presidential driver was stripped of his licence for a year and a half and ordered to pay a fine of 52,500 crowns. Because of the breach of duty by a member of a security force, Kopp also lost his job.

Four grounds for appeal

Still, the former driver decided to keep fighting and filed an extraordinary appeal — a so-called "dovolání" — with the Supreme Court. The filing reached the court last Tuesday.

According to the court spokesman, the former police security officer based his appeal on four arguments. He claims the lower courts misjudged his actions from a legal standpoint and reached conclusions that contradict the evidence examined during the trial. Kopp also argues that the punishment handed down is unlawful.

How the crash happened

The incident took place on 8 February 2025 in the village of Česká Čermná in the Náchod district. According to investigators, the former presidential driver got behind the wheel after drinking almost two beers and two shots of slivovitz at a pig-slaughter celebration, after his shift had already ended. After colliding with another car, he continued driving for another 250 metres before stopping. What's more, at the time of the crash he was on standby for duty — despite being drunk.

Even before the final verdict was handed down, Kopp had expressed regret over what happened. "I regret what I did. I believe I've already been punished enough. This sentence will ruin me financially," he said at the time.

Kopp's lawyer, Pavel Kroupa, acknowledged his client's guilt during the trial but argued that the case should have been treated as a minor offence rather than a criminal one. Initially, the General Inspection of Security Forces prosecuted him for endangering others while under the influence of a psychoactive substance, but the charge was changed after a medical examination showed a blood alcohol level below one per mille.

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Source: seznamzpravy.cz