Deaflympics Fraudster Ruda Gets 13 Years; Notary Furda Gets 14

Jaromir Ruda, the man who brought shame on the Slovak Republic after defrauding millions of euro intended for the cancelled 17th Winter Deaflympic Games, has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for his actions.

The verdict fell yesterday at the District Court in Banska Bystrica, which charged Ruda with embezzling EUR 1.6 million in collaboration with notary Stanislav Furda, who was also sentenced to 14 years in prison. In an effort to help compensate for the damages, the court also ordered the assets of both Ruda and Furda to be confiscated.

The court determined that the two men had worked together to embezzle the EUR 1.6 million, which eventually led to the Deaflympic Games being cancelled just a few days before they were due to start, causing hundreds of eager competitors and their teams not only heartache, but also financial losses in cancelled flights and accommodation.

The lawyers of the two men still claim that their clients are innocent and so will be filing appeals against the verdict. Both Ruda and Furda have been kept in custody.

Ruda, who was head of the Organisational Committee for the games, could also be up for charges of having borrowed ten million euro from at least four companies through co-operation agreements to help prepare the games, after presenting a fraudulent bank guarantee from the Bank of Columbia.

Ruda also managed to extract over EUR 1 million from the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) using false documentation, by getting its members to send money for accommodation and other services to the Slovak Deaflympics Committee instead of dealing directly with the facilities.

Related articles: https://www.thedaily.sk/?s=Ruda&x=0&y=0