“What do I say to that? It’s a mess. I don’t shop at anything other than sales. I could live and I don’t,” says Miloš from Brno, in his seventies. He does not want to give his full name, the editors know him.
Like hundreds of other seniors, he believed in an elaborate system of 18 personnel-linked companies, which, according to elite detectives from the National Organized Crime Center (NCOZ), defrauded more than 1,200 elderly people. Criminal investigators estimated the damage at 340 million crowns. If the 13 accused are convicted, it will be one of the biggest frauds on the elderly in the history of the Czech Republic.
Drowned millions
Mr. Miloš, like other seniors, is waiting in vain for the start of court proceedings. He drowned 1.1 million crowns in the investment, his lifetime savings. At the same time, its amount is far from the highest. As Seznam Správy found out when inspecting the file, one of the defrauded entrusted the holding company with over five million crowns.
In April, two years passed since the large-scale police raid by elite detectives in Prague, Brno and Olomouc. However, according to Seznam Zpráv information, the preliminary proceedings are still ongoing and the indictment is not finished, even in view of the huge file material of tens of thousands of pages.
It normally takes six to 12 months to complete. In exceptional cases, the law allows the deadline to be extended, which happened in this case as well. “I think that we could and should proceed more quickly. It will sound ugly, but it is important that those people live to see justice,” emphasized lawyer Filip Petráš.
His law firm represents 380 clients from this case. Many of them sent their life savings to the holding company. “They are worried that they will not live to receive compensation. Unfortunately, several clients died,” confirmed the lawyer.
The case is supervised by the High Prosecutor’s Office in Olomouc. “Although the number of victims is extremely high, the greatest influence on the length of the criminal proceedings in this case is the need to evaluate a significant amount of seized materials,” Senior Prosecutor Radim Dragoun responded to Seznam Zprávy.
He could not specify the next procedure. “Due to the scope of the criminal case, at the current stage of the proceedings, it is not possible to set a more precise date for the end of the investigation, however, no unjustified delays are registered in the activities of the police authority,” he added.
A lot of stress for clients
Some of the seniors are ashamed that they nodded at the holding company’s offer. They didn’t even tell their relatives about the damage. Even Miloš admits it. “Friends know about it, loved ones don’t. What am I going to explain to them that I flew in like that?” he explained.
As Seznam Zprávy has already described in detail, a tangle of companies first won the trust of elderly clients by providing legal or artisan services. Later he gave them an offer to invest. At the same time, the promised returns were not suspiciously high, mostly exceeding two percent. Clients received hundreds of crowns per month. However, according to criminal investigators, the accused did not invest the money in any way. The selected millions ended up in expensive cars or casinos, among other things.
Those prosecuted face up to 13 years in prison for serious fraud and participation in an organized criminal group, four of whom are being prosecuted as early as 2022. Among them is the former football player of Zbrojovka Brno or Drnovic Miloslav Kufa, whose surname has been changed to Honek. He has not communicated with the editors since the beginning, and through his lawyer he said that he does not want to comment on the matter. The editors repeatedly tried to get statements from the other accused, but they did not respond.
The main actors of the Ramfin case
Miloslav Honek (formerly Kufa) – from April 2019 at the latest the managing person of the entire Ramfin group, in addition to other functions, from December 2018 the chairman of the Merhautova Investment Cooperative.
Miloslav Kufa the younger – line manager of the Ramfin group. Among other things, a partner in Celostátní česká služba, formerly Senior Safe s.r.o
Michael Pokiser – business director for the Ramfin group, among other things, from 2015 to 2018, the 100% owner of High Corporation s.r.o.
Tomáš Kunc – operations director for the Ramfin group, former partner with a 100% stake in Infinity Service s.r.o
The situation broke many of the cheated, some are visiting a psychologist. “I try not to worry about it, push it out like some of the other bad things that have happened in my life. A psychologist advised me not to think about them. I’m not one of those dumbass people. But you see, I ran into it,” said Miloš.
Mrs. Maria, who entrusted the holding company with 150,000 crowns, was also under a lot of stress. He also does not want to release his full name. “I’ve somehow come to terms with it, but the beginnings, when I learned about the situation, were terrible. It definitely has a negative effect on me,” she admitted.
There was also a behind-the-scenes legal battle over the case. At first, the state authorities refused to view the victims as particularly vulnerable victims. The laws establish special rights for them, including free assistance and free representation by an attorney.
Two law firms filed a complaint against the police’s actions, the public prosecutor’s office eventually complied. “After a long time, our first fifty clients were granted the status of particularly vulnerable victims,” Petráš said.
He considers it the right course of action. “If the legislator sets the barriers so badly that it is possible to commit such criminal activity, let him bear the costs. The state should take responsibility for the situation,” he said.
Don’t tell your relatives, advises the lawyer
The lawyer appeals to the injured to confide in family members in any case, even for inheritance reasons. “Clients are embarrassed that they ran into each other, but that’s normal human behavior. If the relatives don’t know about it and, God forbid, there is a death, even the notary doesn’t need to know about it. The claim is then not included in the inheritance. The money will be lost, which is a shame,” the lawyer emphasized.
Dalibor Cába received information about the case from his 86-year-old mother. She also provided the holding with tens of thousands of crowns. “We have information from the police that we could get 30 to 40 percent back,” he told Seznam Zprávám.
Criminal investigators have already said that they seized money and real estate from the companies. “We cannot comment on the principle of compensation, as everything will depend on the court’s decision,” announced NCOZ spokesman Jaroslav Ibehej. Attorney Petráš also does not want to estimate the amount of compensation for individuals.
“The total value of the secured property is in the order of tens of millions of crowns,” said Dragoun.
So the seniors continue to look for justice. “I’m still hoping they’ll give me all my money back. I will never put them away again, even by mistake. I have such a negative experience that I prefer to leave them at home under the pillow,” said Marie.
Miloš also believes that he will get some of the money back. “At least it will be some satisfaction, however small. I’ve saved my whole life and now I’m in a fart…,” he said with a bitter smile.
