Social Democrats offer 126 million crowns to lawyer

The opposition Social Democrats are offering 126 million crowns (5.8 million USD) to Prague lawyer Zdenek Altner, party chairman Jiri Paroubek said on Monday. Mr Altner says he is owed 93 million crowns (4.3 million USD) from the Social Democrats for services he gave them in a legal dispute over the ownership of the party's headquarters seven years ago and that the amount has now risen to 19 billion crowns due to fines and late-payment penalties.

Zdenek Altner has filed a bankruptcy petition against the Social Democrats and says he will not accept an out-of-court settlement. The CTK news agency reports that many members of the Social Democratic Party are worried about the future existence of the party as they fear impending bankruptcy.