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

Suspicious tender for ambulances

The Central Bohemian ambulance service has long suffered from 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 leadership preselected a winner and tried at all costs to push through the delivery of vehicles from Ambulancia Polska, even despite serious doubts about meeting the requirements. According to the tender documentation, the winning company was supposed to demonstrate that it had previously completed a similar contract worth tens of millions of crowns.

Fake reference by Sebastian Radzik

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

Lies, threats and missing documentation

According to reporters, Sebastian Radzik's behavior in face-to-face meetings was chaotic and contradictory – at times he insisted the documents existed, then denied them, and he was unable to provide the exact number of vehicles, their types or brands, or their current locations. While other fleets are routinely documented and shown on social media, there is not a single photograph for this alleged contract. Instead of the promised materials, the AKTU.cz newsroom received only a threatening e‑mail, and journalists have faced repeated phone threats of lawsuits and even of arson against the newsroom.

Response from the ambulance service and regional authorities

The Central Bohemian ambulance service's management was reportedly repeatedly warned about inconsistencies in Ambulancia Polska's references, yet director Pavel Rusý insisted on the Polish company's victory. Even the moment when Ambulancia Polska itself admitted that the alleged contract worth around 40 million crowns did not go through bank accounts and the ambulances are nowhere to be found did not convince management to take decisive action. The ambulance service also refuses to communicate transparently – neither the Polish company nor director Rusý communicate with the newsroom, and official responses through the press spokesperson contain incomplete or misleading information.

Cancelled tender and intervention by authorities

On March 6, 2025 the Central Bohemian ambulance service announced Ambulancia 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 had begun 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 conduct of the proceedings, 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 again left without new ambulances, while the proceedings at the antimonopoly office were halted.

Police investigation and possible cover-up

According to exclusive information from AKTU.cz, the police are also investigating the whole affair, although they are sparse with official information. The newsroom's sources speak of suspicions that director Rusý may be being protected by high-ranking police officials. These suspicions are said to be supported by wiretaps from events at Loučeň Castle, the contents of which and the people recorded on them the editors know, but for tactical reasons they are not publishing them yet.

Director Rusý's ties and conflicts of interest

Pavel Rusý previously worked for the company Nonstopmedic, which after his appointment as head of the Central Bohemian ambulance service began carrying out runs for that organization. According to AKTU.cz, the police are investigating whether money might have been diverted from the regional budget through the ambulance service to the private company. His ties to Nonstopmedic were known to the Central Bohemian region's health councillor Pavlík and to the then ODS minister Martin Kupka, who actively lobbied for Rusý's appointment as director, yet the possible conflict of interest did not trouble them.

Dire condition of the vehicle fleet

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