Czech intelligence services may have access to banking secrecy

Prague, July 3 (CTK) - The Czech intelligence services will have a chance to get access to data that are subject to banking secrecy in order to better fight against terrorism, according to an amendment to the banking law that President Vaclav Klaus has signed, his spokesman Radim Ochvat told CTK Tuesday.

The intelligence services would be allowed to ask for a court consent to access to bank secrets only in the cases of fight against funding of terrorism.

Intelligence agents will have to submit the original court consent concerning a concrete client or its verified copy and the banks will have to store a copy.

Moreover, the secret services will have to inform the Chamber of Deputies commission supervising the BIS civilian counter-intelligence service about how many times they have asked for data from bank accounts.

The amendment also gives the Czech Central Bank (CNB) the right to suspend a bank licence over the concealment of data or the provision of mendacious data in serious cases.

Klaus has also signed an amendment to the law on armed forces that will enable the military to use jammers during its exercises in the Czech Republic but only under set conditions.

The use of jammers is to protect soldiers mainly in foreign missions.

The military will have to inform the Czech Telecommunication Office and the Integrated Rescue System about their use.

The legislation will also facilitate to send planes with humanitarian aid abroad. In the future, the decision can be made by the Defence Ministry only and not the whole government as is the case now.

In addition, Klaus has singed a new control order that introduces uniform rules for inspection in state and public offices. However, they will not apply to the Supreme Audit Office (NKU) over its independent position.