In March 2017, the defendant had fifty thousand crowns sent to an account in Russia without cash through his internet banking. The money was intended for fugitive Alojz Polák (52) from Brno, a sniper who was sentenced to twenty-one years in prison in January of this year for the death of at least four members of the government units of Ukraine. At the court, his lawyer said that the man was apparently no longer alive.
It was during the investigation of Polák’s criminal activity that the transgression of Pavel Fátor, living in a village near Hradec Králové, also came to light.
“The financial resources were intended for the activities of a fighter in the ranks of the militarily organized units of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, although the defendant was aware of the man’s affiliation with this militarily organized unit of the self-proclaimed republic. Also the purposes for which the funds are to be used, i.e. for his further active work, for the equipment and armament of other members of the unit of the so-called Republican Guard,” said prosecutor Martin Bílý from the High Prosecutor’s Office in Prague.
The court acquitted the teacher who denied the war in Ukraine
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“I acted without thinking”
“At that time, I perceived it differently than it is perceived today. I quickly realized that I had made a mistake. I acted without thinking,” Fátor told the court on Monday and continued.
“I perceived that I would help people who are in danger. Unfortunately, it turned out the way it did. The residents were threatened, I perceived that they were resisting some kind of violence,” Fátor repeated, adding that the change also occurred after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Every decent and normal person must reject Russian aggression,” he added.
Photo: Ludmila Žlábková, novinky.cz
Pavel Fátor (right) was represented at court by lawyer and presidential candidate for the KSČM in 2002 Miroslav Kříženecký (left)
When asked by his defense attorney, he also confirmed that after the start of the war, he sent twenty or thirty thousand to accounts supporting the invaded Ukraine.
The court accepted the agreement
Pavel Fátor (born 1967) has been interested in politics for a long time, in 1989 he was one of the so-called student leaders, he was one of the representatives of the strike committee at the Faculty of Education.
In 2002, he ran for the Hradec Democratic Club in the municipal elections. But he was not elected. In the last presidential elections, he supported the candidate Jaroslav Bašta.
The trial on Tuesday was short, just under an hour. The defense and the prosecution reached an agreement and the court accepted their plea agreement.
“Both sides came up with a draft agreement. The court did not find any formal circumstances that would prevent its acceptance,” said Senate President Jiří Vacek, adding that the penalty for this crime is three to 12 years in prison. However, according to him, the court took into account the defendant’s current position, including the fact that he currently sent money to Ukrainian refugees, as well as the fact that the crime took place seven years ago.
He shot at least four people in Ukraine. The sentence of 21 years for the fugitive Czech applies, the court decided
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