ABL threatens to sue Social Democrats chief over comments

The security firm ABL says it will sue Social Democrats leader Bohuslav Sobotka if he does not either apologise for comments he made about the company or prove their veracity. Mr Sobotka called on the prime minister to intervene over alleged ties between ABL and several ministries, and warned of possible corruption and conflict of interest. The firm was previously owned by Vít Barta, who is transport minister for Public Affairs, a party that received his strong financial backing. Education Minister Josef Dobeš of Public Affairs is a former ABL employee, as are deputy ministers of transport, education and the interior. An ABL representative said on Tuesday that its former employees who are now in government posts no longer had ties to the firm. For his part, Mr Sobotka says he has no intention of retracting his statements.