The District Court for Prague 6 imposed a two-year prison sentence in mid-January, but the Municipal Court in Prague overturned it on the basis of Švagrovská’s appeal. Instead of an unconditional sentence of two years’ imprisonment, the Court of Appeal decided that the appropriate sentence would be a sentence of three years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years.
“According to the court, the convicted person will thus have a greater opportunity to repay the damage she has caused. The court stated that it relies on the fact that, under the supervision of the probation officer, it will be ensured that the convicted person will pay for the damage to the greatest extent possible. The court took into account the offender’s previous integrity and the fact that she confessed to the criminal activity in its entirety,” explained Martin Krahulík, the legal representative of the wrestling association.
At the same time, the match association proposed confirming the judgment of the court of first instance. “An unconditional prison sentence much better expresses the seriousness of the perpetrator’s actions and the fundamental negative impact of her actions on the wrestling movement. Unfortunately, the appeals court did not agree with this argument,” explained Krahulík.
He added that the former secretary has already started paying off her debt to the union with a few symbolic sums. “We hope that following the sentencing, there will be an even greater effort on the part of the convicted person towards financial reparation for her offence, with the Wrestling Association working closely with the relevant probation officer on this matter to ensure that the convicted person is actually paying back what she can afford.” stated Krahulík.
From January to October 2021, Švagrovská withdrew from the association’s account an amount exceeding seven and a half million crowns, which corresponds to two thirds of the organization’s annual budget. The union therefore got into existential difficulties. As Švagrovská described to the court, she borrowed the money to run her husband’s company, believing that she would be able to pay it back. It was proven that she acted independently, without cooperation with other union officials.
The newly imposed sentence contradicts the opinion of the judge of the District Court for Prague 6, Klára Jantošová, who stated in January that the serious consequences of the act did not allow the court to impose a condition on the defendant. “It’s a sad end to a sad period of Czech wrestling… Although I don’t like the court’s decision, of course I have to and will respect it. At the moment, the entire executive committee and I are focusing on the ‘new era’ of Czech wrestling, which, I hope, our entire movement will unite over positive goals with a new strategy. Looking back will not move us in the right direction,” union head Robert Mazouch told ČTK.
