The head of the Czech tennis organization has been detained as part of a fraud probe into the misuse of state funds, which saw police raid its headquarters this week.
The association selected sport director Jan Stoces as interim president on Friday. After a judge ordered that its president, Ivo Kaderka, be detained in connection with the Czech tennis financial crisis. Five people and five firms have been charged with subsidy fraud, but not the federation. Also read: American Casey Kania Banned 2 Years For Positive Marijuana Test
Kaderka and Vojtech Flegl, a federation board member, are the only two people detained following police searches on the federation’s headquarters in Prague and other locations across the country earlier this week.
If convicted of subsidy fraud, Kaderka, 60, who has led the federation since 1998, and Flegl face up to ten years in prison. They deny wrongdoing. The other suspects are the federation’s secretary and head of finance. As well as Daniel Vacek, a former tennis player who teaches fellow Czech Tomas Machac, who is presently ranked 65th.
Flegl’s company, which organizes different tennis tournaments in the country, got money from the federation for overpriced or nonexistent services. Which were then transferred to his other enterprises and family members. Also read: Australian Open 2024: Hsieh Su-Wei, Elise Mertens win women’s doubles title