News

Czech MEP says Tymoshenko not getting medical attention

The jailed former prime minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko failed to
receive adequate medical care in prison and her condition is serious, Czech
MEP Zuzana Roitova told the CTK news agency by phone from Kyiv on Tuesday.
MEP Roitova, a former Czech health minister, was sent to Kyiv to prepare a
report on Yulia Tymoshenko’s condition for the European Parliament. Ms.
Roitova said she had been allowed to study the opposition leader’s
medical records, though was not allowed to meet with her in person. The MEP
said that the medical records clearly show that the findings in the area of
the lumbar spine are so serious that a decision should have been made on
possible surgery. She said that instead of treating her the prison
authorities had taken away Tymoshenko’s crutches, halted administering
pain-killers and subjected her to long sessions of interrogation. Roitova
also noted that she considers substantiated her family’s fears she was
being exposed to toxic substances in order to make her fold under pressure.

Cardinal Dominik Duka arrives back in Prague

The Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka, newly elevated to the post of
cardinal in a ceremony at the Vatican on Saturday, returned to Prague on
Tuesday. The cardinal headed straight for St. Vitus’ Cathedral where he
bowed to the relics of Saint Adalbert and knelt for a few minutes in silent
prayer. He was then received by President Václav Klaus who said Dominik
Duka’s appointment to the post of cardinal was confirmation of the good
work of the Czech Catholic Church in upholding basic Christian values in
present-day Czech society. Alongside his predecessor, former Prague
archbishop Miloslav Vlk, Dominik Duka is the country’s second living
cardinal.

Security Committee meeting over state attorney rift

The Security Committee of the lower house is holding a special session on
the functioning of the High State Attorney’s Office in Prague. The
session, called by the head of the security committee Radek John, of Public
Affairs, was called to throw more light on an in-depth audit ordered by the
provisional head of the High State Attorney’s Office in Prague Stanislav
Mečl. However critics say that the real reason for the meeting is the
politicization of a rift between the Supreme State Attorney’s Office and
the High State Attorney’s Office in Prague.

Relations between the two institutions are strained in the wake of a court
ruling last week which effectively reinstated Vlastimil Rampula –whom the
Supreme State Attorney had accused of sweeping corruption cases involving
politicians under the carpet – to his post at the head of the Prague High
State Attorney’s Office.

Prague Municipal Court says Rampula’s dismissal was not justified

In related news, the Prague Municipal Court, which on Tuesday made
available the full text of the verdict, said Mr. Rampula’s dismissal was
not sufficiently justified. The ruling has also undermined the position of
Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil who sacked Mr. Rampula at the request of
Supreme State Attorney Pavel Zeman. Some observers claim that the
controversy may be linked to efforts by the junior coalition party Public
Affairs to gain control of the Justice Ministry, a claim the party has
strongly rejected.

Victim of judicial error demanding huge compensation package

The victim of a judicial error is demanding 35 million crowns in
compensation. Jan Šafránek who was wrongly sentenced for rape spent a
year in prison before police caught up with the real culprit. In one of the
first court rulings on the case a Prague district court ordered the Justice
Ministry to pay Šafránek 366 000 crowns in compensation relating to lost
profits. The Prague Supreme Court is to decide how much Šafránek should
get for the trauma he suffered and damage to his reputation. Commentators
say this is one of the most glaring cases of judicial error in the
country’s modern history.

Authorities move to curb teenage alcohol consumption

A rise in alcohol consumption among teenagers has resulted in a move to
tighten punishment for selling alcohol to minors. The National Anti-Drug
Coordinator Jindrich Voboril on Tuesday confirmed that a proposed amendment
to the law should significantly raise fines for the offense and should give
the authorities the right to close down for several days pubs which
repeatedly break the law. According to a survey by ESPAD – the European
School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs – 21 percent of Czech
16-year olds go on a drinking spree at least three times a month, 15
percent of those drink spirits. The number of teenage girls who drink beer
has doubled since 1995.

Jan Švejnar still unsure about candidacy

Economist Jan Švejnar, whom the Social Democrats are considering fielding
as their candidate for the post of president, has said he is not yet
certain he wants to enter the race. Mr. Švejnar said he would prefer to
see the new election rules which Parliament has yet to agree on before
making up his mind. The US-based economist is slated as one of the two hot
candidates for the post together with the former prime minister Jan
Fischer. The other Social Democrat nominee being considered is Social
Democrat deputy head Jiří Dienstbier.

Tyden.cz: police investigating second suspicious presidential pardon

Czech detectives are looking into a second reprieve granted by President
Václav Klaus under dubious circumstances, according to the news website
Tyden.cz. Citing anonymous sources, the website writes that Mr Klaus
suspended the five-year prison sentence of businessman Tomáš Malina, who
was
convicted of fraud worth hundreds of millions of crowns. The reprieve was
reportedly based on Mr Malina’s medical condition, however the prison
service says his health is good and that he should begin serving his
sentence. The article goes on to say that two anonymous pieces of
information provided to the state attorney´s office show that Mr Malina
manipulated health reports and paid to arrange the reprieve via a friend
of
Mr Klaus, Václav Petr. Last week it emerged that a woman convicted of
corruption and pardoned by the president had been in contact with his
wife,
Livia, on a regular basis.

Tomáš Topfer to head Prague’s prestigious Vinohrady Theatre

Actor and senator for the Civic Democratic party Tomáš Topfer is to head
Prague’s prestigious Vinohrady Theatre as of September 1st. He will be
replacing 72-year-old Jindrich Gregorini who earlier announced his decision
to retire. Topfer, a well known theatre actor who has headed another Prague
theatre –Na Fidlovačce – since 1998, received unanimous support from
Prague councilors. His senatorial mandate is due to expire in the autumn.

Extended weekend metro services scrapped

The extended weekend metro service in the Czech capital will soon be a
thing of the past. Prague city councilors on Tuesday voted unanimously to
scrap the extended service of Prague’s metro and bus lines one hour past
midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. The decision was taken for
financial reasons and other restrictions are expected to follow. It is not
yet clear when the change to metro and bus schedules will be introduced.

Weather

The coming days should be partly cloudy to overcast with daytime highs
between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius.