Radek John returns to journalism

Prague, Oct 31 (CTK) - Former Czech deputy prime minister Radek John plans to end as chairman of the now opposition Public Affairs (VV) party because he will work as a journalist as of November, returning to his original profession, he told CTK yesterday.

John has been the VV leader since 2009. He wants the VV to choose somebody else to replace him as its chairman at an election congress in early 2013.

He will head the journalistic section of the Empresa Media publishing company that also issues the Tyden weekly as of Thursday, November 1.

John said he is going to write texts on "the mafia tentacles stealing public money in the country."

"I believe there should be no force in a democratic state that would prevent a politician from publishing the facts that he has revealed during his work," he said.

The VV entered parliament in mid-2010 and became the smallest partner in the coalition government of Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS). Within a year, it developed a reputation of a troublemaker, saw its preferences plummeting and seems to have no chance in defending its parliamentary seats in the next elections. In spring 2012 it left the government.

John, 57, worked as an editor and scriptwriter in the past and he wrote several books. He was the editor-in-chief of the Nova television investigative programme With One's Own Eyes in the 1990s and the 2000s. His face markedly increased the VV's popularity before the 2010 elections.

He was interior minister in 2010-2011 and deputy prime minister for anti-corruption struggle shortly in spring 2011. He resigned as deputy PM, citing discords with Necas.

At present, he is the chairman of the lower house security committee and a member of the mandate and immunity committee. He can therefore have access to classified data and data from the police.

Empresa Media issues the Tyden and Instinkt weeklies and magazines for teenagers and it has recently bought the Barrandov TV station. It is owned by media magnate Jaromir Soukup who has repeatedly trpv VV in the past.