predecessor successor birth_place title party primeminister birth_date term_start order article_title term_end name
ivan pilip pavel mertlík czechoslovakia finance minister of the czech republic Čssd miloš zeman 6 april 1948 22 july 1998 3rd ivo svoboda -lrb- politician -rrb-
 20 july 1999 ivo svoboda
ivo svoboda -lrb- politician -rrb-

ivo svoboda -lrb- born 6 april 1948 -rrb- is a czech politician and economist , former minister of finance of the czech republic in miloš zeman 's cabinet .
svoboda started his political career as a deputy in the czech national council -lrb- from 1990 to 1992 -rrb- .
since 1997 , he was the deputy chairman of the board of the company liberta in mělník .
from 1997 to 1999 , he served as the deputy chairman of the czech social democratic party .
he became the minister of finance in july 1998 as his party won the national election , following a campaign promising voters a corruption-free government .
in july 1999 , police announced their intention to start prosecution proceedings on criminal charges against svoboda while he was still in the cabinet .
his term as minister of finance came to an end less than a week later , as he was sacked by president václav havel .
svoboda was sentenced to 5 years in prison in 2005 due to his involvement in tunneling of the liberta company , becoming the first government minister following the velvet revolution to receive such a sentence .
he left prison in october 2008 , after having served three years of his sentence .
