Diag Human to sue Culture Ministry over harmed reputation

Prague, March 20 (CTK) - The Diag Human company is going to sue the Czech Culture Ministry for harming its good name by inappropriately commenting on Diag Human-initiated distraints of Czech artifacts abroad, the company's lawyer Jan Kalvoda told CTK Wednesday.

Diag Human has been in a long-lasting court dispute with the Czech state over a several-billion-crown compensation it claims for its allegedly thwarted trade in blood plasma.

It has turned to foreign courts as well. As a result, the Vienna court, for example, previously temporarily seized three Czech works of art that were on display in Austria. Diag Human minds the statements the Czech Culture Ministry made in this connection.

In view of the Austrian temporary seizure of Czech artifacts in 2011, the Culture Ministry last autumn did not permit a loan of some of the Europea Jagellonica exhibition's items to Poland in fear that they could be distrained although Diag Human previously pledged not to initiate their distraint.

According to Kalvoda, the ministry's spokeswoman Marketa Sevcikova then said that "Diag Human gave a similar promise in the case of the [Czech] exhibits on display in Vienna, but still it [had] them seized."

This information is untrue, indicating "fraudulent and cheating practices" of Diag Human, Kalvoda said.

He said he turned to Culture Minister Alena Hanakova (TOP 09-STAN) a few months ago, asking her to put her spokesperson's words right. However, he has not received any answer as yet.

In reaction to Kalvoda, Sevcikova Wednesday said the ministry's extreme cautiousness in assessing artifacts export last year was well founded and the ministry had to explain it thoroughly, otherwise its ban on artifacts export would be considered inadmissible willfulness.

"The main reason for our decision was Diag Human's previous approach to [Czech] work of arts abroad," Sevcikova said on behalf of the ministry.

There is nothing by which the ministry could harm Diag Human's good name, she added.

Health Minister Leos Heger (TOP 09) is to inform the Czech cabinet about the state's further steps in court proceedings abroad.

The ministry has prepared an extension of the contract with the Belina and Partners lawyers' office that represents the state. Further legal services will cost 20 million crowns.

In Austria, France, the USA, Britain, Switzerland and possible other countries where Diag Human many turn to courts, the Czech Republic will be represented by foreign lawyers' offices cooperating with Belina and Partners.

Martin Plisek (TOP 09), deputy health minister in charge of legislative affairs, said the cases related to Diag Human have developed favourably for the Czech Republic so far.

"We hope that after the case is settled in the Czech Republic, the chance of related disputes abroad will disappear," Plisek said on Tuesday.

Unlike Diag Human, the Czech Republic says the arbitration has not definitively ended. The arbitration verdict from 2008, under which the Czech state has to pay over eight billion crowns plus interests to Diag Human, has not taken effect, Prague says.

Courts are now finishing the selection of an appellate panel of arbitrators to review the verdict.