Fomer České Budějovice mayor sentenced to five years in prison

Former mayor of České Budějovice, Juraj Thoma, has been sentenced to five years in prison for abuse of office. The court has also ordered him to pay 12.5 million crowns in damages and banned him from holding any public office for the next five years. Mr. Thoma is believed to have signed a highly disadvantageous contract worth 37 million crowns for the city over IT services in 2012 without calling a public tender. It was overpriced by some estimates to the tune of 12 million crowns. Mr Thoma is likely to appeal the verdict.