Three weeks ago, Ilja Mazánek, president of the international section of the Czech Chamber of Commerce and director of Transcon Electronic Systems, was arrested in Senegal, according to the Senegalese daily Liberation. The incident occurred on the border with Mauritania, where Mazánek was arrested while leaving the country by land instead of taking a flight.
Senegalese authorities suspect Mazánek and his company of fraudulent financial activities. In 2019, Transcon won a contract to modernize five regional airports in Senegal, but the investigation focuses on illicit financial transfers abroad and illegal imports of equipment. According to authorities’ estimates, the damage would amount to 100 million euros, or around 70 billion CFA francs, said Vladimír Drábek, general director of Transcon, based in Prague.
Drábek said the company refutes these accusations and calls for Mazánek’s immediate release. At the same time, Transcon suspended modernization work at two of the airports concerned. If the charges are confirmed, Mazánek could face a prison sentence of one to five years, while the company faces fines of several hundred million euros.
Mazánek is currently detained in Senegal awaiting possible indictment. The Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed that it was informed of the situation and was providing consular assistance. “Our diplomats on site are in contact with the family and the employer of the Czech citizen,” the ministry told News.
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Senegal
