Bašternák admitted guilt
Businessman Ladislav Bašternák admitted guilt, claimed effective regret and returned €2m to the state after police completed an investigation into alleged VAT fraud in his real estate transactions last week. Back in 2012, he bought apartments with a market value of €1.5m for €12m, getting a €2m VAT refund in the process. After he claimed effective regret, police must drop all charges. Interestingly, though, the Constitutional Court ruled last year in an unrelated case that effective regret can’t be claimed in VAT fraud cases. The special prosecutor might therefore reject Bašternák’s move, return the money, and press charges nonetheless.
