“I deserved punishment.” The sentence that persuaded the judge to release Rath
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A case file has arrived at the Brno Regional Court to decide whether former CSSD Governor and Ex-MP David Rath will leave prison after more than two years and two months.
There he is serving a seven-year sentence. Because he was in custody for a year and a half due to a corruption case, he served half his sentence in October this year.
In recent days, the Brno City Judge Josef Tatíček wrote a verdict in which he described in detail why he sided with Rath and wanted to release him from prison on parole.
However, the applicant Adriana Valcová lodged a complaint against that. And so the senate of the Brno Regional Court has now begun to deal with the case. It is not yet clear when he could decide whether Rath would be set free.
He definitely does not want to return to prison and is even able to express a sentence – many years ago it was unthinkable that he deserved punishment.
Judge Daddy, according to a written verdict obtained by the Report List, convinced Rath for several reasons. First, according to him, the former governor has already learned. As is well known, Ratha was caught by the police in 2012 when he took away a seven million bribe in a wine box.
“He definitely does not want to return to prison and is even able to express a sentence – many years ago it was unimaginable that he deserved the punishment,” Judge Tatíček wrote.
“Then the court really does not see how otherwise the convict should show his critical view of previously committed crime,” he added.
David Rath works as a doctor in prison. He outlined that he worked 180 hours like this in September and earned 17,000 crowns. But when all deductions, payments for his children and other fees were deducted, he was left with about two thousand crowns.
Judge Daddy praised Rath’s effort. “There is no reason to marginalize the convict’s work in the original profession,” he wrote in the verdict.
However, the plaintiff Valcová stated that this is more of a benefit for Rath. “The work of a doctor in prison is a huge benefit that the prison has given him. He was given an opportunity that was not given to any convict in the past, and he can do the job of a doctor in a prison environment, “said Valcová.
According to Judge Tatíček, however, Rath is also somewhat to blame for the fact that the Public Prosecutor’s Office criticizes him in this way. He recalled that during the prosecution, he often obstructed, criticized the police and prosecutors, or talked about the politicization of the whole process.
If Rath was released, he would work as a doctor for his wife’s company, Eva Rath. And two days a week, according to his words, he would commute to either the Brno or Prague-Ruzyně prisons. He would work there as a general practitioner. And according to estimates, he could earn 80 to 100 thousand crowns a month.
Rath is currently facing another sentence. He has paid half of the financial penalty of 10 million crowns so far, and if he did not pay the rest, he could end up next year and a quarter behind bars. It is from the money he earned that he would like to repay this amount.
“I am fully aware of that, I take it. It’s the biggest motivating pressure for me to pay. If I don’t pay, I’ll go back to jail, “Rath said.
In the event that he is released, he is said to be ready to pay the penalty, for example by selling family real estate. With his brother, with whom he has been resolving disputes for many years, he owns, for example, a family house in Zbuzany. According to Rath, its value is around nine million crowns.
The custody account then contains about ten million crowns (8.6 million crowns and 39,000 euros), which were secured by police officers in 2012 at the house of Rath and his parents.
According to Rath, the Prague High Court said the money had nothing to do with crime. “About 850,000 are mine, about 850,000 wives. The rest was father. According to the will, I should get about three quarters of the remaining amount, “added Rath. According to him, he could probably get this money within the next year, but if the court granted his request.
Judge Tatíček also wrote in the verdict that Rath had already been disciplined five times in prison. “Four of them were not punished with praise and one extension of personal leave,” the judge said.
According to him, Rath is also in regular contact with his family. You are taking advantage of Skype video calling. “The visit and contact with the family shows a very positive and close relationship with the family,” he added.