Schwarzenberg considers Čunek case closed

Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has said that he considers the investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Jiří Čunek’s personal finances closed. Speaking in a televised debate on Sunday, Mr Schwarzenberg said the private audit performed at his request ruled out that Mr Čunek had taken a bribe. At the same time, Mr Schwarzenberg wants to continue with the audit, since it turned out to be incomplete. The investigators, however, say that the contents of the missing 700 pages from the close to 5,000-page police report were highly unlikely to influence the overall conclusion of the audit.

The report of the US investigation agency Kroll says that while there is no evidence to suggest that Mr. Čunek had taken bribes, he received high rewards for lobbying, paid out per day which is not subject to taxation, and which would explain the striking difference between his official income and the large sums of money deposited on his various bank accounts.