Government MP accuses opposition of bribery ahead of confidence vote
A new bribery scandal has shaken the Czech political establishment ahead of the government's confidence vote - with a government MP coming forward with the allegation he was offered millions by the country's largest opposition party to bring the government down. Dramatic accusation? Certainly, but as Jan Velinger reports, what's missing at the moment is solid proof.
The scandal first broke on Friday when a national daily published a government MP's unexpected claim that he had been offered a bribe weeks ago to help bring down the government. The Freedom Union's Zdenek Koristka told Mlada Fronta Dnes an unnamed figure from the opposition Civic Democrats had offered him the equivalent of 300, 000 euros in exchange for a "no" vote in this coming Tuesday's confidence vote - a move that would almost definitely have spelled the end of the new cabinet of Stanislav Gross.
However, by going public without first informing members of the government parties - not even the police - Mr Koristka caught just about everyone by surprise - the leaders of all three government parties held an emergency meeting on Friday to decide how to handle the case.
Freedom Union chairman Pavel Nemec, however, rejected any calls for postponing Tuesday's vote.
He said the ruling coalition's 101 majority in the Chamber of Deputies still stood, adding that Mr Koristka's resistance to such pressure, was evidence that the coalition was firm.
But the Civic Democrats are seething - demanding proof from Mr Koristka that the incident ever took place. Otherwise they say, they will take legal action.
Vlastimil Tlusty, the head of the Civic Democrats' Deputies Group, goes so far as to claim that his party is the victim of a smear campaign.
"This is a campaign based on a charge but no solid proof. The damage is done because long months of uncertainty will drag by without resolution and we will no longer be able to shake off the tar with which we have been brushed, or receive any kind of apology."
Certainly at the moment Freedom Union MP Zdenek Koristka is looking very vulnerable: open to an almost certain lawsuit if he fails to provide - and police are unable to uncover - solid evidence.
That has left Mr Koristka with little to do but stand firm, appealing for help from other government MPs he believes found themselves in a similar situation to himself.
"I would be very happy if someone else found the courage to come forward. After all, the Civic Democrats themselves admitted to sending out feelers to see if any MPs could be turned. I would really be interested in knowing who they met with and what was discussed. So far, only my name has been put forward, this is something of a moral appeal, and I hope others will go public."
This story now looks set to run and run. Whatever the outcome, it is another reminder that the position of the new Czech government is fragile.
