Illustrative stock photo (source: Sme)
Peter Guzmický, the mayor of the village, ended up behind bars in 2015, the same year when, as a lawyer, he tried to resolve the inheritance of a Czech citizen, Vladimír Huněk. Later, evidence confirmed that his original claims were justified, the pluska.sk website wrote on August 28.
The website tells the story which started in 2013 when Huněk asked his lawyer, Guzmický, to help him acquire his inherited property. Finally, Guzmický received all the due documents for the man, who spent some years in prison and thus could not participate in the inheritance proceedings. Moreover, Huněk unwittingly sold some of the documents necessary for the process.
He inherited, as sole heir, the rent of his aunt who died in 2005 in Wintenthur, Switzerland. The inheritance includes properties in Germany and money in several Swiss and German banks.
First jailed, then compensated
The case got Peter Guzmický 20 days in jail in December 2015, when he wanted, with late Czech MP Miloslav Ransdorf, to withdraw Huněk's money from Zürcher Kantonalbank. Suspected of fraud, Guzmický ended up behind bars.
Later, he was released, and now he is entitled to compensation. The lawyer and ex-mayor claims that he was compensated by the Swiss state, and will receive further compensation from Huněk – based on their agreement. Guzmický also expects to receive compensation from the Swiss bank, after all other issues are concluded.
“I was accused of attempting to steal €350 million from them, with forged documents,” the ex-mayor explains. “The bank made the biggest bank thief out of me, so the compensation must be commensurate. Moreover, I will ask for an inscription in the Guinness Book of Records – no-one has ever tried to steal such a sum of money,” he says jokingly. The damage compensation can amount to dozens of millions of euros, pluska.sk writes. Guzmický, aged 60, declares that he is prepared to donate 90 percent of the sum to humanitarian activities.
Guzmický was mayor in Ivanka pri Nitre from 1992, for five terms. During this time, he had several problems, and was involved in court proceedings for which he received a conditional sentence of two years for fraud and abuse of the powers of a public official. Other misdemeanours included using a municipal phone for private purposes, but he paid the difference and the case was dismissed.
