HN: Czech politicians each have his own "Dalík" to do dirty job

Prague, Oct 9 (CTK) - The role of an adviser, confessor, real estate agent and holiday organiser, which lobbyist Marek Dalik played for the then Czech PM Mirek Topolanek, is nothing new in politics and insiders even say high politics cannot do without such "Daliks," Jindrich Sidlo writes in Hospodarske noviny Tuesday.

He reacts to Sunday's arrest of Dalik by the police on suspicion of attempted fraud. Dalik is suspected of asking the Austrian producer for bribe in exchange for the Czech government nodding to the purchase of the Pandur APCs.

2007, when the suspected crime occurred, was a wonderful and generous year, Sidlo says ironically. The times are known for the then phone conversations between Prague mayor Pavel Bem (Civic Democrats, ODS) and lobbyist Roman Janousek, in which the latter inadmissibly influenced the City Hall's decision making, Sidlo says.

Simultaneously, the door to PM Topolanek's (ODS) office stayed permanently open to Dalik. Bewildering reports and speculations emerged on each Janousek and Dalik's irregular activities at the time. Now that details have surfaced, the then speculations are turning out to be far from exaggerated, Sidlo writes.

Dalik and Janousek differ by their education, favourite summer destination and taste, but their work tasks were identical. Both without any officials powers and posts, they stood close to Topolanek, then prime minister and ODS chairman, and Bem, then Prague mayor and ODS deputy chairman, respectively, Sidlo writes.

Neither of them bore responsibility for anything. If they, by chance, somewhere spoke on behalf of their high-ranking friends, it could be always played down: how can they promise or demand anything if their influence is officially nil? Sidlo writes.

That is also why Dalik, as the police assert, could ask the Austrian company Steyr for a bribe, though otherwise it would make no sense to corrupt Dalik, an unimportant PR agency's owner, in connection with the Pandur deal worth billions of crowns, Sidlo says.

"Being a Dalik, (a Janousek, a Miroslav Slouf, let's continue with other well known names) was until recently quite a safe and lucrative job, though all people involved knew very well what it was about," Sidlo writes.

The legal qualification of Dalik's suspected crime as attempted fraud is smart, though probably forced out by a lack of direct evidence [on bribery], Sidlo writes, alluding to the police's assertion that Dalik in his position could not fulfil his promise to influence the government's decision on Pandurs.

Dalik definitely could not demand a half-billion-crown bribe for himself - not even in 2007 when almost anything was possible, Sidlo says.

Of course, it is not clear whether Dalik's befriended prime minister knew about his request. Nevertheless, it is known for sure that stories about Dalik's trips to potential "sponsors" started circulating in Prague shortly after Topolanek became ODS chairman in late 2002. The ODS was in opposition then, but its return to power was expected soon, Sidlo writes.

Topolanek was a man extremely easy to irritate. The most reliable way to irritate him was to make unflattering remarks about Dalik in his presence. If so, Topolanek "fought like a mother bear fighting for her cub. Like Bem fighting for Janousek," Sidlo writes.

The Topolanek-Dalik symbiosis was almost absolute at the time. Dalik managed to eliminate the whole team of allies that had helped Topolanek ascend the seat of ODS chairman in 2002, and he took up all roles himself: that of Topolanek's adviser, confessor, real estate agent and organiser of joint holidays, Sidlo writes.

The same went for the Bem-Janousek relation, he adds.

Of course, such a role is nothing new in politics, and some Czech insiders even assert that supreme politics cannot be done without "a dalik" at all, Sidlo continues.

Not even after Dalik's arrest will such men, assigned with the dirty job, disappear from politics, but they will probably upgrade their working methods, Sidlo says.

Dalik, Janousek, Topolanek and Bem have disappeared from the scene, he writes.

"Let's be looking forward to further sequels," Sidlo concludes, probably alluding to a number of other suspicious cases waiting for clearance.