Scandal over Polish ambulances: Fake references and manipulation of the Central Bohemian ambulance service's tender

Suspicious ambulance tender

The Central Bohemian ambulance service has long suffered a significant shortage of ambulances, which is a direct consequence of mismanaged procurement procedures by the organization's management and the region's political leadership. According to AKTU.cz, there is suspicion that the management preselected the winner and tried at all costs to push through the delivery of vehicles from Ambulans Polska, despite serious doubts about meeting the requirements. According to the tender documentation, the winning company was supposed to document that it had previously carried out a similar contract in the order of tens of millions of Czech crowns.

False reference by Sebastian Radzik

A key role in the tender was played by a reference from the company Zakład Opieki Zdrowotnej Pogotowie Medyczne from Grabina, which its executive and director Sebastian Radzik confirmed as a completed contract. Reporters from AKTU.cz found that this contract never took place and that it is an obvious fraud intended to help Ambulans Polska meet the conditions of the Czech tender. When verified directly in Poland, it turned out that Radzik's company did not take delivery of any Type C ambulances – mobile intensive care units – from Ambulans Polska, and there is no relevant documentation, serial numbers, handover photos, or a clear method of financing.

Lies, threats and missing documentation

Sebastian Radzik's conduct in face-to-face meetings was, according to reporters, chaotic and contradictory – at one point he claimed the documents existed, then denied them; he was unable to state the exact number of vehicles, their types or brands, or their current locations. While other fleets typically document and publish themselves on social networks, in the case of this alleged contract there is not a single photograph. Instead of the promised materials, AKTU.cz received only a threatening email, and journalists face repeated phone threats of lawsuits and even threats to set the newsroom on fire.

Response of the ambulance service and regional authorities

The management of the Central Bohemian ambulance service was reportedly repeatedly warned about inconsistencies in Ambulans Polska's references, yet director Pavel Rusý insisted on the Polish company's victory. Not even the moment when Ambulans Polska itself admitted that the alleged contract worth around 40 million Czech crowns did not pass through bank accounts and the ambulances are nowhere to be found convinced management to take decisive action. The ambulance service also refuses to communicate transparently – neither the Polish company nor director Rusý communicate with the editorial office, and official answers via the press spokeswoman contain incomplete or misleading information.

Cancelled tender and intervention by authorities

On March 6, 2025 the Central Bohemian ambulance service announced Ambulans Polska as the winner of the tender,

On April 4 it rejected objections to the conduct of the contract. Even before that, the AKTU.cz editorial team began investigating the entire case in Poland

On April 12 reporter Jiří Forman publicly warned of possible fraudulent conduct. This was followed by a submission to the Office for the Protection of Competition over the non-transparent course of the procedure, after which the ambulance service canceled the tender on April 28. In October part B of the tender was completely canceled and the region was once again left without new ambulances, with the proceedings at the antitrust office halted.

Police investigation and possible cover-up

According to exclusive information from AKTU.cz, the police are also investigating the whole affair, but they are sparing with official information. The newspaper's sources speak of a suspicion that high-ranking police officials may be covering for director Rusý. This suspicion is said to be supported by wiretaps from events at Loučeň Castle, whose content and the people recorded on them the editorial team knows, but for tactical reasons they are not publishing them yet.

Director Rusý's ties and conflict of interest

Pavel Rusý previously worked at the company Nonstopmedic, which after his accession to the head of the Central Bohemian ambulance service began running calls for that organization. According to AKTU.cz, the police are investigating whether money could have been diverted from the regional budget through the ambulance service to a private company. The regional health councillor Pavlík and then-minister from ODS Martin Kupka, who actively lobbied for Rusý's appointment as director, were aware of his ties to Nonstopmedic, yet the possible conflict of interest did not bother them.

Dire state of the vehicle fleet

The result of the whole series of failures, suspicious decisions and incompetent management is the current dire state of the ambulance fleet in the Central Bohemian Region. Ambulances must be borrowed from other regions and there is a critical shortage of them in the system. Vehicles originally intended only for extraordinary incidents as backups are being put into regular service, which increases risks for patients and medical crews.