News

President Zeman has fully met his financial obligations stemming from the presidential election campaign, the head of his office Vratislav Mynář told journalists on Friday. The president covered the final expenditures this week, thanks to a financial gift from the party of Citizens’ Rights which he set up and of which he is honorary chairman. The 35,000 crowns left on his campaign account will reportedly go to a children’s charity. In line with a new law on direct presidential elections, all candidates in the running had to have a transparent account.

Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek was questioned by the police on Thursday in connection with a case involving three former Civic Democratic MPs, who were allegedly offered seats on the boards of state-owned companies in exchange for giving up their mandates and allowing the government’s tax reforms to pass. Mr. Kalousek, who was questioned as a witness, told the police that he did not offer former MP Petr Tluchoř the post at the energy company ČEZ in exchange for political favors. The State Attorney has pressed charges of corruption against Mr. Tluchoř, as well as former MPs Marek Šnajdr, Ivan Fuksa and the prime minister’s chief of staff Jana Nagyová.

President Miloš Zeman said that he will discuss his views on the Civic Democrats’ nomination of Miroslava Němcová for the post of prime minister first with leaders of the parliamentary parties and only after will reveal his decision to the press. The Civic Democratic leadership put forward the lower house speaker as their nominee on Wednesday, after Petr Nečas resigned as prime minister in response to a scandal involving his closest aides. President Zeman plans to meet with party chairmen in the next few days to discuss possible solutions to the current government crisis. It is in his competence to name a candidate from among the Civic Democrats to try and renew the centre-right coalition or could decide on a candidate of his own choosing to lead a caretaker government. The president has also said that the possibility of early elections is not off the table.

The Social Democrats have criticized the choice of Mrs. Němcová, but the Civic Democrats’ coalition partners TOP 09 and LIDEM parties mostly approved of it.

The police have uncovered a large-scale internet child pornography distribution network, with 32 people under investigation, and possibly eight others being charged in the future. Twenty-seven people were arrested during 46 house searches. Two police officers and one civilian working for the police are suspected of participating in the illegal activity. One of them has been detained. Child pornography was distributed through emails and online forums.