Vladimír Železný
Encyclopedia
Vladimír Železný is a media businessman, politician and convicted criminal in the Czech Republic
. He was the first CEO of TV NOVA, a popular Czech television station and was a member
of the European Parliament
between 2004 and 2009. As a media mogul with political influence, he has been compared to Rupert Murdoch
and Silvio Berlusconi
.
.
In 1993 he applied with five others for a license to broadcast a private television channel to show classical music, cultural programmes and current affairs. He obtained a €140m investment from the American firm, Central European Media Enterprises
(CME) to fund the enterprise. Due to the Czech Media Council's rules against foreign ownership, the license was granted to a company controlled by Železný - CET21 - which, with the legal assistance of Miroslav Šipovič signed a licensing agreement with a joint venture partly owned by CME. In February 1994 he launched TV NOVA which became the most popular network, although it was criticised as undermining the cultural tradition of Czechs.
In 1999 CET21 terminated the licensing agreement, effectively seizing control of the station and making CME's investment worthless. Subsequently some 20 suits started in front of the Czech courts and international tribunals. While the CME (at the time incorporated in Netherlands
and controlled by American national Ronald Lauder
) started UNCITRAL
arbitration proceedings against the Czech Republic (in Stockholm
) under the Bilateral investment treaty
between the Czech Republic
and Netherlands
, Ronald Lauder himself started UNCITRAL arbitration proceedings against the Czech Republic (in London
) under the Bilateral investment treaty between the Czech Republic
and the USA. While the London tribunal dismissed the claim by Lauder, the Stockholm tribunal, effectively dealing with the same issue, found the Czech Republic liable for not protecting the CME's investment in the Czech Republic and awarded CME damages of $270 million, which were eventually paid from taxpayers' money. Under a different arbitration award, Železný was to pay damages of $23 million. CME also eventually regained control of the channel.
It was reported that police suspect him of selling property and making a speculative agreement with a Liechtenstein
company to avoid paying this debt. In 2007 he was convicted of failing to pay the customs duty on some paintings he had imported in 2001, fined €250,000 and given a suspended jail sentence.
In 2001 he was publicly arrested and charged with tax evasion and defrauding creditors in connection with the Nova company. In 2003 the Senate voted to lift his immunity to allow the police to investigate and in 2005 the European Parliament followed suit.
for the Znojmo
circuit. Analysts said he selected the seat based on the high ratings of TV Nova and high rates of unemployment and said he was "widely suspected" of seeking election only to secure parliamentary immunity
.
In 2004 he was elected
to the European Parliament
. He founded the Independent Democrats
(Nezávislí demokraté) in 2005 and was elected its chairman. In 2006 he unsuccessfully sought election
to the Chamber of Deputies
.
In 2008 he told Prague Radio he was a "fierce eurosceptic
" and said the European Union
was "an over-regulated environment which strongly resembles what we know from our communist past" In 2009 he launched Libertas.cz.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. He was the first CEO of TV NOVA, a popular Czech television station and was a member
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
between 2004 and 2009. As a media mogul with political influence, he has been compared to Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
and Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
.
Media career
In 1968, aged 23, Železný made headlines when he broadcast in defiance of orders pictures of Russian tanks driving through Prague during the Warsaw Pact invasion of CzechoslovakiaWarsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
.
In 1993 he applied with five others for a license to broadcast a private television channel to show classical music, cultural programmes and current affairs. He obtained a €140m investment from the American firm, Central European Media Enterprises
Central European Media Enterprises
Central European Media Enterprises is a Bermuda-based vertically integrated company. Founded by Ronald Lauder, it owns broadcast, content and new media operations in Central and Eastern Europe...
(CME) to fund the enterprise. Due to the Czech Media Council's rules against foreign ownership, the license was granted to a company controlled by Železný - CET21 - which, with the legal assistance of Miroslav Šipovič signed a licensing agreement with a joint venture partly owned by CME. In February 1994 he launched TV NOVA which became the most popular network, although it was criticised as undermining the cultural tradition of Czechs.
In 1999 CET21 terminated the licensing agreement, effectively seizing control of the station and making CME's investment worthless. Subsequently some 20 suits started in front of the Czech courts and international tribunals. While the CME (at the time incorporated in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and controlled by American national Ronald Lauder
Ronald Lauder
Ronald Steven Lauder is a Jewish-American businessman, civic leader, philanthropist, and art collector. Forbes lists Lauder among the richest people of the world with an estimated net worth of $3.0 billion in 2007.-Life and career:...
) started UNCITRAL
UNCITRAL
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law was established by the United Nations General Assembly by its Resolution 2205 of 17 December 1966 "to promote the progressive harmonization and unification of international trade law"....
arbitration proceedings against the Czech Republic (in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
) under the Bilateral investment treaty
Bilateral Investment Treaty
A bilateral investment treaty is an agreement establishing the terms and conditions for private investment by nationals and companies of one state in another state. This type of investment is called foreign direct investment . BITs are established through trade pacts...
between the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Ronald Lauder himself started UNCITRAL arbitration proceedings against the Czech Republic (in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) under the Bilateral investment treaty between the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and the USA. While the London tribunal dismissed the claim by Lauder, the Stockholm tribunal, effectively dealing with the same issue, found the Czech Republic liable for not protecting the CME's investment in the Czech Republic and awarded CME damages of $270 million, which were eventually paid from taxpayers' money. Under a different arbitration award, Železný was to pay damages of $23 million. CME also eventually regained control of the channel.
It was reported that police suspect him of selling property and making a speculative agreement with a Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
company to avoid paying this debt. In 2007 he was convicted of failing to pay the customs duty on some paintings he had imported in 2001, fined €250,000 and given a suspended jail sentence.
In 2001 he was publicly arrested and charged with tax evasion and defrauding creditors in connection with the Nova company. In 2003 the Senate voted to lift his immunity to allow the police to investigate and in 2005 the European Parliament followed suit.
Political career
In 2002, Železný was elected to the Czech SenateSenate of the Czech Republic
The Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic , usually referred to as Senát, is the upper chamber of the Parliament of the Czech Republic...
for the Znojmo
Znojmo
Znojmo is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic, near the border with Lower Austria, connected to Vienna by railway and road . The royal city of Znojmo was founded shortly before 1226 by King Ottokar I on the plains in front of Znojmo Castle...
circuit. Analysts said he selected the seat based on the high ratings of TV Nova and high rates of unemployment and said he was "widely suspected" of seeking election only to secure parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
.
In 2004 he was elected
European Parliament election, 2004 (Czech Republic)
The European Parliament election of 2004 in the Czech Republic was the election of MEP representing Czech Republic constituency for the 2004–2009 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 2004 European election....
to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. He founded the Independent Democrats
Independent Democrats (Czech Republic)
Independent Democrats is small populist political party in the Czech Republic. Its founder Vladimír Železný, MEP, was elected its chairman during the party's convention on 6-7 August 2005. It advocates strict immigration policies, the abolition of the Senate, and review of the country's...
(Nezávislí demokraté) in 2005 and was elected its chairman. In 2006 he unsuccessfully sought election
Czech legislative election, 2006
Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 2 and 3 June 2006.The pre-election campaign was fierce and mostly negative. A major scandal broke out few days before the election. The two largest parties had profited from the divisive campaign – both had obtained the highest percentage...
to the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic
The Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Chamber of Deputies is situated in palaces in Malá Strana, Prague....
.
In 2008 he told Prague Radio he was a "fierce eurosceptic
EuroSceptic
EuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
" and said the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
was "an over-regulated environment which strongly resembles what we know from our communist past" In 2009 he launched Libertas.cz.
Criminal activities
In May 2009 the Prague High Court upheld a two-year suspended sentence with a four-year probation for Mr. Železný. He was found guilty of tax evasion in case import of paintings in 1998.External links
- Personal website
- Curriculum by Vladimír Vaďura
- http://nezdem.cz – Železný's latest (2005) political party
- European political group at the European Parliament http://indemgroup.org/
Media, articles, case studies
- Zelezny says he was offered higher preferences for bribe, praguemonitor.com/ČTKCTKCTK may refer to:*ČTK, Czech Press Agency ; before 1993 Czechoslovak Press Agency *CTK - CiTylinK , an airline based in Accra in Ghana...
, 27 Mar 2006 - EP-Abgeordneter Vladimír Železný in Prag vor Gericht, tschechien-online.org, 31 Jan 2006
- Vladimír Zelezny: Der Medienboss, arte-tv.com, 6 Oct 2005
- Czech Mate: CME and Vladimir Zelezny, Harvard Business Online, 10 Feb 2004
- Mejstřík opět navrhl slyšení o TV Nova, senátoři jej znovu zamítli (Senator Martin MejstříkMartin MejstříkMartin Mejstřík is a Czech politician and human rights activist. He is notable for his role as a student leader during the Velvet Revolution that led to the ousting of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in November 1989...
tries again to initiate Senate hearing on TV Nova), cestazmeny.cz (Cesta změny), 23 May 2003 - Mejstřík inicioval veřejné slyšení ve věci arbitráže Novy (Senator Martin MejstříkMartin MejstříkMartin Mejstřík is a Czech politician and human rights activist. He is notable for his role as a student leader during the Velvet Revolution that led to the ousting of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in November 1989...
trying to hold public hearing to seek recovery of funds), cestazmeny.cz, 18 Apr 2003