Archive: Domestic affairs | Politics Politics
Bradáčová appointed high state attorney
It took weeks for the new Justice Minister Pavel Blažek to decide but in
the end, on Monday, he appointed reputable state attorney Lenka
Bradáčová high state attorney at the state prosecutor’s office in
Prague. Her candidacy – and fearless reputation as a prosecutor –
sparked controversy within the government and namely within the ruling
Civic Democratic Party, suspected by some of trying to stall or derail her
appointment. More
David Rath corruption scandal takes fresh turn
The corruption scandal surrounding David Rath took another set of twists
and turns this week as police accused the former Social Democrat health
minister and Central Bohemian governor of taking an additional nine million
crowns in bribes. Mr Rath is already remanded in custody as police
investigate his involvement in a prior affair. More
Klaus backs embattled police president
Differences between police president Petr Lessy, Prime Minister Petr Nečas
and the country’s finance minister, Miroslav Kalousek, reached boiling
point this week, leading the country’s head-of-state, Vaclav Klaus, to
weigh in. On Wednesday Mr Klaus met the police president at Prague Castle,
expressed full support for him and clearly stated that attacks against the
police official had to stop. More
Lower house approves restitution of church property
The lower house of the Czech Parliament has passed a controversial bill on
the restitution of church property. Under the draft legislation, 17 Czech
churches and religious groups would get tens of billions of crowns worth of
physical property confiscated by the communist regime, plus financial
compensation. The bill will now be put to vote in the opposition-controlled
Senate which is likely to turn it down, and send it back to the lower house
for final approval. More
Were Kalousek calls an attempt to intimidate the police president?
Police president Petr Lessy dropped a political bombshell on Thursday,
revealing that over a week ago he was repeatedly called by the finance
minister over an ongoing police investigation into the CASA military plane
purchase. Speaking before the Security Committee on Thursday, Mr Lessy made
clear he considered the calls at best highly inappropriate, if not a direct
attempt at intimidation. The minister himself has denied any wrongdoing,
while the opposition has already called for his head. More
Parliamentary immunity comes under renewed scrutiny
Parliament on Wednesday voted to revoke the immunity of its deputy
chairwoman, Vlasta Parkanová, who police suspect of having made a highly
disadvantageous military purchase when she was defence minister in 2009.
While the case has been a matter of huge debate in recent weeks, the fact
that the current lower house has now given up more of its members than any
other has lead to a broader discussion on whether parliamentary immunity
serves any useful purpose. More
Parliamentary committee recommends for MP and former defence minister to be stripped of immunity
Parliament’s Mandate and Immunity Committee has advised deputies in the
lower house to strip coalition MP Vlasta Parkanová of immunity. The former
defence minister is suspected of abuse of public office and breach of trust
in connection with a 3.5 billion crown purchase of military planes during
her term in office. More
“Invisible man” sworn is as new justice minister
New Justice Minister Pavel Blažek was sworn in by President Klaus on
Tuesday at 10am in a ceremony at Prague Castle also attended by Prime
Minister Petr Nečas. The relationship between Blažek and fellow Civic
Democrat Nečas, and the ability of the former to carry out his job
independently will undoubtedly be at the heart of assessments of the new
justice minister’s performance. More
Speculation rife about real reason behind justice minister’s fall
The sudden dismissal of one of the most popular members of the Czech
government, Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil gave rise to intense
speculation about the real motivation of the move. Prime Minister Petr
Nečas reiterated on Thursday he had fired Mr Pospíšil over poor
management of the ministry. However, few believe this was the real reason
behind the fall of the justice minister. More
PM unexpectedly fires popular justice minister
President Václav Klaus dismissed Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil on
Wednesday following a surprisingly rapid recommendation by the country’s
prime minister, Petr Nečas. The sacking of one of the most popular Czech
politicians came a day after the government discussed budget plans for next
year. Mr Nečas said that the minister had been sacked for failing to meet
austerity targets. Critics, though, charge there is another reason the
politician was shown the door. More
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