Career
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 Czechoslovakian Social Democratic Party. 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.