Bruntál builder Petr Czasch is selling his company

Bruntál - Bruntál entrepreneur Petr Czasch, known for statements such as that 90 percent of construction contracts in the Czech Republic are influenced by corruption, is selling his construction company Czasch. The limited liability company, which employs approximately one hundred people, will be purchased for 6.5 million crowns by its current director Josef Strapáč with the help of another investor. The transaction will be completed at the end of the year, Czasch told ČTK today, as he now wants to focus on business in tourism and work for the municipality of Karlovice, where he has become the deputy mayor.
    "I realized that the best thing for the company now is that my anti-corruption activities are no longer associated with it," said Czasch. According to his earlier statements, winning companies are usually selected before the competition is announced by setting the conditions purposefully. "Our experiences suggest that random corrupt dealings have over time created a system for embezzling public budgets through the abuse of individual political positions and parties," said Czasch two years ago. The reward for obtaining a contract reportedly ranges from five to 20 percent of the price, which at a national level can amount to as much as 24 billion crowns from public budgets.
    Czasch also previously proposed the so-called Domestic Offset, a support system for underdeveloped regions through state contracts awarded to companies from affected areas. His idea did not gain traction with politicians. His vision also failed to impress voters during this year's parliamentary elections, in which he unsuccessfully ran as the regional leader of the Party of Common Sense.
    The largest current contract for Czasch's company is the renovation of the Společenský Dům in Bruntál for more than 80 million crowns. The company's annual turnover is around 200 million crowns, and its economic results have ranged from an eight million profit to an equally high loss in the last five years.