Civil Society

We are facing a discrediting campaign, claim People in need. Russian television station connects them with espionage. The Czech humanitarian organization People in need serve to foreign secret services, claims Russian television station TV Centr. The TV station will broadcast a documentary movie accusing organization of espionage and corruption in the Ukrainian Donbass, which is controlled by Russian forces. The Czech organization refuses the charges as a discrediting campaign and as an effort of Russian forces to get them out of their region. Russian political scientist Ivan Preobraženskij said, according to his opinion, that the news report is created for order. Similar reports are usually ordered from high ranking official. Requested goal is to compromise some particular people or organizations. In the case of foreigners and opposition activists is the goal to get them out of the region, which is controlled by Russia, he means.

Criminally prosecuted Ježek had a close relation to motorcyclists, who got ex-senator Novák out of prison. He paid them a website. Criminally prosecuted businessman Daniel Ježek, who was caught by police during their swoop against frauds with European donations, had a close relation to motorcyclists from a citizen association Gryphons. They stood security for a city ex-major Alexandr Novák and they had to re-educate him. In the past, both ex-members of an ODS party cooperate together in few businesses. Except of their membership in the ODS party and connection with Gryphons, they are both friends with a lawyer Michael Kis. He pleads their cases now. And there is also a connection in a very strange transfer of two hotels in Chomutov. In connection with European donations, the police made on Tuesday a big swoop, which ended with accusation against 24 people of damaging interests of EU and other crime offences. The damage is about 13.9 billion Czech crowns. Between other prosecuted persons are for example regional ex-council member of Ústí nad Labem Jana Vaňhová, Jiří Červinka or mayor of Cheb Jan Navrátil.

Donation scandal: Has German tax money flowed to Hamas? At the World Vision aid organization, German money has been misappropriated for years and has been sent to the Hamas Palestinian terror organization

The Supreme Court of Lithuania has cleared the charges in the vote buying case. The prosecutors contended that there allegedly was an intent to buy votes of numerous prison inmates in favour of Darbo party (Labour party) during the 2012 Parliament elections.

During repeated municipality elections in Trakai and Širvintos municipalities the police has received 31 notices on alleged breaches which consist mainly of vote buying and prohibited substance usage.

Lithuanian Court of Appeals ruled that the former MP Vitas Matuzas and lobbyist Andrius Romanovskis were cleared of all charges. Both had been accused for using a charity fund for receiving financial contributions from business in return to favourable decision-making in the Parliament.

Policemen accused five people who were arrested on Monday in Kladno, of corruption and abuse of power. They are suspected of allowing people to obtain a driver's license, for example, without completing the required journeys or without passing the tests. Police spokeswoman informed that these defendants are three examiners from Kladno Municipality and two representatives of driving schools. They are investigated at liberty.

The man from Syria, who ran a business in Slovakia, had allegedly financially supported the terrorist organization the Islamic State. Server Aktuality.sk informed last week, that the case has been investigated by Criminal Office of Slovak financial management. Dana Meagerová, the Deputy of Slovak Minister of Finance stated that: „Criminal Office of Financial Management noted a case where the Slovak resident of Syria used excessive deductions of value added tax to finance the Islamic State". Part of the money was appointed directly to the mentioned terrorist organization, but most of the money have passed through several countries to lose track. The case is under investigation now, and subject to a tax secret.

The FBI has arrested three people in the San Bernardino area on charges of marriage fraud, including the older brother of Syed Rizwan Farook, who, with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, shot dead 14 people at an office Christmas gathering in December 2015

The European Commission’s new proposals to crack down on multinational companies avoiding paying tax in the countries they earn their profits won’t be enough to fight tax havens, according to NGOs.