Jurecka said nothing has emerged to indicate that Hladik would be charged in the case of suspected corruption in Brno. Photo credit: vlada.cz.
Prague, Nov 21 (CTK) – Deputy Prime Minister Marian Jurecka (KDU-CSL) will ask Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) next week to propose the appointment of Petr Hladik (KDU-CSL) as environment minister to President Milos Zeman, Jurecka told journalists yesterday.
He said Hladik would meet the president soon as the candidate for minister, but did not say when the meeting would be held.
Jurecka said nothing has emerged to indicate that Hladik would be charged in the case of suspected corruption concerning the privatisation of municipal flats in Brno. Until recently, Hladik was a Deputy Mayor of Brno, and the police searched his office during a raid in October.
At the end of October, Anna Hubackova (KDU-CSL) left her post as environment minister for health reasons. Jurecka, who is Labor and Social Affairs Minister, has been temporarily heading the Environment Ministry since then.
Hladik has said repeatedly that he has cooperated with the police and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
He told CTK today that the police contacted him only once shortly after the raid, and that he provided them with an explanation. “I have not done anything wrong. I gave 18 interviews about it and everybody can find my explanation on the web or in the media,” Hladik said.
Jurecka said Hladik had several weeks to explain the case.
According to iDNES.cz, the police suspected Hladik of influencing the privatisation of houses in Brno, and of being one of the politicians around businessman Michal Horky who helped push the controversial privatisations through. Horky has been remanded in custody.
During the raid on 4 October, the police questioned 30 people and searched 28 houses and other premises.
