Zeman must apologize and pay 50,000 CZK in Šarapatka case

Former President and ex-Prime Minister Miloš Zeman has not appealed against the verdict that ordered him to apologize to Zdeněk Šarapatka, a member of his former team of advisers from the Government Office. The verdict, which also includes the payment of CZK 50 000 in financial compensation, has thus become final. The Seznam Zprávy news server reported this on Wednesday. Zeman repeated a defamatory statement about Šarapatka that three other courts have said is untrue.

Zeman must apologize in writing within seven days of the Rakovník court ruling, which took effect on Wednesday, and also publish the apology on the Parlamentní listy website within the same timeframe.

In a Parlamentní listy interview, Zeman claimed, "Sharapatka can boast that he is the only adviser fired by two prime ministers." Courts previously ruled that this statement was defamatory.

The Supreme Court upheld a verdict requiring Zeman to apologize for saying on Barrandov TV in November 2017 that he had fired Sharapatka for incompetence, despite Sharapatka leaving the Government Office by mutual agreement when Zeman was prime minister from 1998 to 2002.