Czech anti-corruption police have been investigating state-controlled power utility ČEZ due to suspicions of criminal abuse of information and fiduciary violations for several months now, the Prague prosecutor’s office has confirmed. Media reports say the investigation likely centers on orders that ČEZ management — including ex-chief Martin Roman — gave over the past decade to Škoda  Holding.

Cokeville Assets Inc. — the offshore firm that made tens of millions for having brokered a contract between the Prague transport company (DPP) and a domestic printer to produce metro, tram and bus tickets, in an alleged “kickback” scheme — also earned a sizable commission for advising on the sale of Czech engineering giant Škoda Plzeň’s power equipment unit, Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD) reports.

Škoda Transportation posted a net profit amounting to 27 percent of turnover for 2010 thanks to orders from Czech Railways (ČD) and from Czech towns and cities, which accounted for around 80 percent of the firm’s total sales for the year. By comparison, the most recent financial results for the world’s largest manufacturers of locomotives, trams, and light railways are considerably lower.

The Czech edition of Forbes hit the newsstands on Thursday, following on the successful launch of local language versions of the famous American business magazine elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe (starting with Russia and Poland), as well as in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The cover issue features an interview with Jannis Samaras, the CEO of Czech softdrinks company Kofola.