Inquiry into alleged attack on Sazka trustee

Police are investigating potential foul play in an incident where the trustee charged with overseeing lottery firm Sazka's bankruptcy was nearly hit by a car, a police spokeswoman confirmed June 28.

The incident took place on Karlovo náměstí in Prague 2. Witnesses reported a Škoda with a Russian license plate knocked Josef Cupka to the ground at a crosswalk. Despite the violent nature of the encounter, Cupka escaped with only minor injuries.

"There are signs it was not coincidence," said Lenka Tichá, a spokeswoman for Cupka's office. "The car stopped in front of the zebra crossing, but then plunged forward the moment Cupka found himself in the middle of the crossing. He was dragged on the hood of the car for a while."

While police spokeswoman Eva Kropáčová confirmed an investigation was under way, she added, "I am currently awaiting the latest updates on the case. Until then, I cannot comment any further."

Displaced former Sazka Director Alex Hušák has repeatedly clashed with Cupka in recent weeks, including an incident where Cupka called police to prevent Hušák from removing items from the Sazka offices.

"It is rather strange that a man who claims he was allegedly hit by a car and dragged a couple of meters does not immediately call the police and instead, he immediately supplies the media with conspiracy theories," Hušák said in an unusual reaction to the June 22 incident.

"I would also like to inform you that I got diarrhea yesterday, so I can also claim that the occurrence did not have to be necessarily a matter of coincidence, because the way it occurred does not resemble standard diarrhea, according to witnesses."

Sazka declared bankruptcy in May, with mounting debts largely tied to the construction of the multipurpose O2 Arena, which was completed in 2004. The firm's main shareholders are sports associations, and much of the money raised by the firm's lottery games went toward financing sports. The bankruptcy proceedings have seen the future of sports funding thrown into question even as rival gambling companies seek to capture the lost shares of the market.

Some of the country's most powerful investment groups - including PPF, KKCG and Penta - are pursuing the Sazka assets under liquidation.

- Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.   

Benjamin Cunningham can be reached at
bcunningham@praguepost.com