Social Democrat leader dismisses allegations of underworld contacts

The opposition Social Democrat leader Jiří Paroubek has dismissed media reports which suggest that he has ties to the Czech underworld. The allegations come as speculation intensifies over the precise content of a detailed 11,000 page police report into connections between mafia members, Czech politicians and civil servants. The document, called “Krakatice” represents a police investigation that has gone on for a number of years, focusing in particular on the murdered mobster František Mrázek. Intense speculation has surrounded the report, with confirmations that rebel Civic Democrat MP Vlastimil Tlustý, Interior Minister Ivan Langer and even Czech President Václav Klaus appear in its pages. The latest allegation surrounding the Social Democrat head is the suggestion that František Mrázek was to attempt to seek Mr Paroubek’s help in a business deal – something which Mr Paroubek dismissed, with current reports acknowledging no evidence to support an active connection between the two men. Mr Paroubek also demanded that the “Krakatice” report be made public.