Prague - Czech infamous tax evader Tomáš Pitr who has been in hiding in Switzerland for more than a year may stay calm.
As Aktuálně.cz learned, the Swiss officials have deduced that the tax evasions Pitr stands accused of in the Czech Republic are time barred.
Two independent sources confirmed the information to Aktuálně.cz reporters.
In November last year the Bern-based Interpol HQ officially sent the Czech police a number of questions inquiring about the crimes committed by Pitr. Following the assessment of Pitr's case, they concluded his crimes have fallen under the statute of limitations.
That means Tomáš Pitr can freely move around the non-EU country.
Czech officials are hesitant to comment on the case at the moment. "We are cooperating with the Swiss side and basically it is up to them whether they extradite Pitr or not," criminal police spokesperson Pavla Kopecká told Aktuálně.cz.
Prague court judge Petr Novák who issued the European arrest warrant for Pitr also refused to make any comment.
Last chance
The last chance how to get Pitr back to the Czech Republic is his fake ID. He is believed to use an ID passport with some one else's name..
"He is using a fake ID. The Swiss could extradite him based on this fact," a police source who wanted to stay anonymous told Aktuálně.cz.
But evidently, there is no political will on the Swiss side, says the source, noting that it is not a problem for Pitr now to travel out of Switzerland using the fake ID.
Mental problems?
Pitr was charged with tax evasion worth CZK 51 million thirteen years ago. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison but did not serve his jail based on health grounds. He was supposed to have mental problems at that time. He has been on the run since 2007.
No one seems to know how Pitr could manage to flee the country, though.
Former boss of the Organized Crime Unit Jan Kubice indicated in a recent Aktuálně.cz interview that the police just let him go.
Kubice did not seem to be taken aback by the fact Pitr found refuge in Switzerland.
"Everybody must have expected that. In Europe there are only two countries that could label his crimes as time-barred: Austria and Switzerland," Kubice told Aktuálně.cz. "You don't need to know much about these countries to get that."
