Government hopes to sign restitution contracts amid criticism

The cabinet has approved the format of contracts on property restitution compensations that will be signed with religious institutions. The Czech government is set to pay out a total of 59 billion crowns over the next 30 years to churches and other religious institutions as compensation for property that was confiscated by the communist regime. Prime Minister Petr Nečas is hoping to sign the contracts before the end of the week. The Social Democratic and the Public Affairs parties have said that the government should wait until the Constitutional Court issues a decision on their suits against the restitution law. One part of the complaint lodged by the Social Democrats claims that the government does not have the right to sign civil contracts concerning government property with legal entities.