Education minister sacks official suspected of corruption

The Minister of Education, Josef Dobeš, has bowed to pressure to dismiss the head of the ministry’s investments division, Michal Pilin, over suspicions of corruption. The dismissal came hours after Czech Radio reported on Friday that Mr Pilin had already been forced out of the ministry of education once before for alleged manipulation of tenders. The minister defended Mr Pilin on Friday, saying he did not believe he had done anything wrong, but made the dismissal in order to put an end to media speculation. Mr Dobeš said he had not yet read an audit carried out by the previous education minister, which allegedly proves Mr Pilin’s involvement in suspicious orders that led to the loss of hundreds of millions of crowns.