Speculators are losing lawsuits over state land in the Krkonoš Mountains

Hradec Králové - Speculators who, under strange circumstances, obtained from the Land Fund lucrative plots of land in the Krkonoš Mountains for a fraction of their market value are losing court cases over their ownership. Six out of seven speculators have already lost their case against the Land Fund in the first round at the Trutnov District Court. If the fund confirms its victory in the appeal proceedings, the parcels will revert back to the state. This was reported by today's Mladá fronta Dnes in its supplement for the Hradec Králové region.
    Seven speculators acquired over 30 hectares of land in the Krkonoš Mountains. Among the issued parcels are plots under ski slopes in Špindlerův Mlýn, Janskými Lázněmi, or Svoboda nad Úpou. The fund also issued plots in the center of Špindlerův Mlýn.
    The former member of the council in Pec pod Sněžkou, Jiří Davídek, and his acquaintance Richard Rýda, lost their case at the Trutnov court.
    The company Trans-ex, along with Tomáš Gürtler, Richard Kirnig, and Jan Hřebačka also lost the first court session. Most of them have already appealed. Alena Skládalová is awaiting her first hearing.
    Jan Hřebačka works in the management of the Krkonoš National Park. When it became known that his name appeared on the list of speculators, he decided to sell the land cheaply to the Špindlerův MLýn Ski Area. At that time, he claimed that by selling, he wanted to clear his name because he did not want to speculate with the land. He refused to explain why he is now suing the Land Fund for the parcels.
    "Where we win the disputes, the situation will return to its state before the issue of the transfer agreements. We will retain the land, and the applicants will have restitution claims," said the spokesperson for the Land Fund, Michal Bureš. The fund aims to achieve the annulment of its own transfer agreements and the return of the land to the state's ownership through lawsuits. Of the 20 hearings that have taken place so far, the fund won 14 in the first round.
    The so-called extraordinary regime was adopted in June 2005 due to the approaching deadline for restitution by the Presidency of the Land Fund. It decided that, considering the shortage of land in large cities, any holder of restitution claims who legally claims a certain parcel should be granted the disputed land. Interested parties could thus claim land through lawsuits.
    The regime was abolished after a month, but in the meantime, about 600 hectares of mostly lucrative land in Prague and other locations in the Czech Republic were issued. Typically, the Land Fund offered replacement land to restitution claimants through public offers. Particularly due to the scandal surrounding the Land Fund, Petr Zgarba (ČSSD) resigned from his position as Minister of Agriculture. The scandal also cost the positions of several members of the executive committee, and the presidency of the fund was also replaced.