Fiala says justice minister made mistake by not leaving meeting with Zeman associate

Prime Minister Petr Fiala told journalists on Monday that Justice Minister Pavel Blažek made a mistake by not immediately leaving his five-hour encounter with Martin Nejedlý, the controversial advisor to former president Miloš Zeman, when they met at a Prague restaurant on Wednesday evening. The prime minister said that Mr Blažek is prepared to explain the circumstances of the meeting to the coalition government, and that he thinks it right that both his party's coalition partners and the public are asking for an explanation. He also added that for him, the important thing was that it was a chance encounter, and if it had not been, it would have led to the minister having to step down from his position in the government.

Mr. Blažek has said previously that the meeting was unplanned, as he had ducked into the restaurant to take cover from a heavy storm. Martin Nejedlý is believed to have close ties with Russia.