Justice minister criticises VV leader for pressuring state attorneys

Prague, Feb 21 (CTK) - Czech Justice Minister Jiri Pospisil (Civic Democrats, ODS) yesterday criticised lower house security committee chairman Radek John, leader of the junior government Public Affairs (VV) of exerting pressure on state attorneys.

The security committee yesterday met to discuss an ongoing controversial check at the Prague City State Attorney's Office. John invited Pospisil to the meeting to explain the check.

Pospisil said he can see no other reasons for convoking the meeting than political ones.

He said he heard no argument supporting the suspicion that the check was launched at variance with law.

The committee only agreed yesterday that it would present Pospisil with questions about the check in written form and Pospisil would answer them if it concerns his powers.

Pospisil said on Monday he believes the committee should not deal with the check at the attorney's office. "My goal is to make state attorney's offices more independent, not to curtail their powers by politicians ordering an attorney to explain something he did if they don't like it," he said then.

He pointed out yesterday that the Prague City State Attorney's Office may demand that the check be supervised if its heads do not agree with the check.

Committee member Richard Dolejs (opposition Social Democrats, CSSD) said the meeting was embarrassing.

Dolejs said if fight for the post of justice minister is behind the issue, Pospisil and John should have talked alone.

It was speculated that the VV wanted to get the post for justice minister for one of its representatives, possibly Deputy Prime Minister Karolina Peake.

John yesterday dismissed the view that a power struggle is behind the issue. He said he believes law was violated in five cases according to the Prague City State Attorney's Office.

On January 6, the Prague High State Attorney's Office launched a check at the Prague City State Attorney's Office, focusing on cases concerning corruption, public procurement, abuse of power or money laundering, mostly dating from 2010 and 2011.

The attorneys of the checked office claim that the check aims at denigrating their work. They say no particular problem was presented as the reason of the check.

John also invited Prague City State Attorney Jana Hercegova and Stanislav Mecl, temporary Prague high state attorney, to yesterday's meeting.

However, both Hercegova and Mecl apologised from the meeting because their superiors have not stripped them of their pledge of secrecy.

Pavel Zeman, Czech top state attorney, said recently attorneys should not be questioned by politicians about issues that the judiciary itself should deal with.