Vladimír Železný

Vladimír Železný studied at Charles University. The recorded working language is Czech. Places of work recorded in the authority are Strasbourg and Brussels. Residence is recorded at Prague and Brussels. Positions recorded include Member of the European Parliament and Member of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

• Name — Vladimír Železný • Office — Senator of the Czech Republic (Znojmo circuit) • Term Start — 2002 • Term End — 2004 • Predecessor — Milan Špaček • Successor — Milan Špaček • Office2 — Member of the European Parliament • Term Start2 — 2004 • Term End2 — 2009 • Born — 3 March 1945 • Birthplace — Samara, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia) • Party — Libertas.cz (2009-) Independent Democrats (Czech Republic) (2004-2009) • Spouse — Marta Davouze Konstancie Železná • Children — 4 • Alma Mater — Charles University • Occupation — Publicist

Born to a Jewish family, Železný made headlines in 1968, at the age of 23, when he broadcast in defiance of orders pictures of Russian tanks driving through Prague during the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. 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 United States. 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. From November 2013 to March 2014 he was the CEO of TV Barrandov.

In 2002, Železný was elected to the Czech Senate 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.

Following his 1999 split with investors, Železný was suspected of selling property and making a speculative agreement with a Liechtenstein company to avoid paying his debt to CME. In 2011 the High Court in Prague acquitted him of the charges. In 2001 Železný 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. Later he was acquitted of the charges. In 2007 he was found guilty of tax evasion in connection to paintings he had imported in 1998, fined €250,000 and given a two-year suspended jail sentence with a two-year probation. The verdict was later upheld by the High Court in Prague.

• Zelezny says he was offered higher preferences for bribe, praguemonitor.com/ČTK, 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 Mejstřík 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 Mejstřík trying to hold public hearing to seek recovery of funds), cestazmeny.cz, 18 Apr 2003

The authorities additionally record the heading Vladimir Zelezny. His recorded language was Czech. He was the child of Teodor Železný. He married Marta Davouze and Konstancie Železná. 2 children are recorded: Jakub Železný and David Železný.

Vladimír Železný is recorded with the occupation politician. Recorded as politician, writer, journalist, entrepreneur and photographer.