Firm begins audit of deputy prime minister’s financial dealings

The spokeswoman for the country’s foreign ministry has revealed that Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has enlisted help from an outside firm to look into the finances of fellow cabinet member Jiří Čunek. According to the official, the private investigation and security firm Kroll has been brought in to look into the Mr Čunek’s dealings as part of an agreement that saw the controversial Christian Democrat leader return to the cabinet after an absence of five months. Mr Čunek was forced to step down last November over accusations of abuse and corruption. The audit into his finances is expected to take six weeks.