OECD concerned politics behind resignation of Czech supreme state attorney

The OECD has expressed concern over the resignation of supreme state attorney Pavel Zeman, who resigned after ten years in office, effective on June 30, citing pressure from Minister of Justice Marie Benešová.

Zeman told reporters that month Benešová had threatened him with a disciplinary charge for having spoken to reporters about the 2014 blast in Vrbětice blamed on Russian agents. She denies having done so.

The OECD’s working group on combatting corruption said that since the Czech Republic has failed to adopt legislation guaranteeing the independence of prosecutors, political interference is a concern.