Ombudsman under fire for stripping deputy of competences

Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček‘s decision to strip his deputy Monika Šimůnková of her portfolio, may be an act of revenge for the criticism to which the Ombusdman was submitted by the Senate, his predecessor in office Anna Šabatová told the CTK news agency. The Ombudsman announced on Tuesday that he was stripping Ms. Šimůnková of her competences because of “human and managerial complications accompanying her work.” Šimůnková told CTK that she would complain about the matter to the Chamber of Deputies and was also considering filing a lawsuit against Křeček for his damaging statements about her person.

The Senate has publicly criticized Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček for making “prejudiced and xenophobic remarks” about certain groups of society. A resolution, passed by 25 out of 45 Senators present, calls on the Ombudsman to act “justly and impartially” in accordance with his office, saying that his remarks may put off discriminated persons from speaking out in their own defense.