Author files criminal complaint against PM over church restitution

Prague, Jan 19 (CTK) - Czech writer Lenka Prochazkova has filed a criminal complaint against Prime Minister Petr Necas and members of his government over the proposed return of property to churches, with the Supreme State Attorney's Office in Brno, she said yesterday.

Prochazkova, signatory of the Charter 77 human rights manifesto, says the government members are suspected of having committed the criminal offence of abuse of public office and breach of trust.

Government spokesman Jan Osuch told CTK that Necas will not react to Prochazkova's step.

Prochazkova says Klaus may commit high treason if he signs the bill on return of property to the church.

She says the state wants to return to churches property that does not belong to them.

Prochazkova said the church did not own forests and fields, but only managed them.

Prochazkova said she doubts the legality of the property return. She also said she objects to that the restitution bill does not contain a list of properties to be returned.

The government approved a bill on the return of property to churches last Wednesday. It said the bill that will now go to parliament deals with the property wrongs the communists did to churches and religious communities after they seized power in 1948.

The step has been hailed by Czech churches and religious communities. The opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) have denounced it, saying a majority of Czech society does not support the return of property to churches.

Some 70 percent of citizens of the Czech Republic are opposed to the property settlement with churches according to public opinion polls.

The centre-right coalition government agreed with 17 churches in the Czech Republic in late 2011 on the payment of 59 billion crowns to churches over a period of 30 years starting in 2013. Inflation could raise the sum to 78.9 up to 96.24 billion crowns.

The churches are also to get back 56 percent of the property that was confiscated from them under the communist regime.

The property settlement aims at putting an end to the financing of churches by the state. The transitional period is to last 17 years.

At present the state contributes some 1.5 billion crowns annually to the churches' activities.

($1=19.916 crowns)