News

The army’s CASA transport planes have successfully passed all flight tests and may now be deployed in foreign missions, Czech Defense Minister Vlastimil Picek told journalists in Prague on Monday. The 3.5 billion crowns purchase of four Spanish CASA transport planes in 2009 has been dogged by problems. The planes’ passive protection system against missiles was found to be defective, failing 7 out of 17 tests and an independent auditor later concluded the purchase had been overpriced. After two years of repairs, fresh tests have now shown that the planes’ protection system is fully operational and the planes’ Spanish supplier is paying the defense ministry 20 million crowns in compensation for the problems.

The former chief of staff of ex-prime minister Petr Nečas, Jana Nagyová, made a brief appearance in court on Monday to give evidence relating to the release of information regarding to the size of her monthly bonuses over a year ago. Two people have been charged in connection with the leak, anti-corruption activist and former head of military intelligence Karel Randák and Lenka Pikorová, a former employee at the office of the government. Jana Nagyova, who has spent the last month in prison on charges of corruption and abuse of office, had little to say in court, claiming she could not remember the size of her monthly bonuses at the time and emphasizing that the charges against Randák and Pikorová for violation of privacy had been brought by the Office of the Government and not by herself. The former prime minister who was also called to testify excused himself, citing family reasons.

The first ever quintuplets born in the Czech Republic should be allowed to leave Prague’s Podolí maternity hospital by the end of this month, iDnes.cz reported. The news website said the infants could go home for the first time to the central Bohemian town of Milovice as three of the five now weigh more than five kilogrammes. A week ago they were moved from incubators to the room of their mother, Alexandra Kiňová, who is 23. There was great media attention surrounding the children’s birth six weeks ago.

The chairman of the Social Democrats, Bohuslav Sobotka, says it would be nonsensical to drag his party into a “war” with President Miloš Zeman. Speaking on a TV debate show, Mr. Sobotka said that would weaken the Social Democrats and was just what rival parties wished to see. The head of Mr. Zeman’s office, Vratislav Mynář, recently described Mr. Sobotka as weak for allegedly being inconsist. The latter said on Sunday that Mr. Mynář was a public servant and ought not to be politically active. While Mr. Sobotka has in the past said that the dissolution of parliament is the only way forward in the current political situation, some elements of his party believed to have closer ties to the president (who formerly headed the Social Democrats) have suggested they should consider voting for an interim cabinet backed by the president if a vote on dissolving the lower house fails next Wednesday.