Prague, June 10 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman yesterday officially named Petr Rafaj to the post of the chairman of the antitrust office UOHS for another six years.
Zeman appreciated Rafaj’s work at the head of the UOHS, but he recalled voices that criticised the office for imposing too low fines and setting too long proceedings, saying there seemed to be room for improvement.
Rafaj will head the UOHS until July 2021.
The government approved the reappointment of Rafaj two weeks ago. However, Rafaj’s renomination was supported only narrowly.
Rafaj was pushed through by the Social Democrats (CSSD) of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, but ANO of Finance Minister Andrej Babis voted against him. Two ministers for the small Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) abstained from the vote.
According to daily Lidove noviny (LN), Zeman would have preferred Frantisek Lukl for the post. Lukl was regional development minister in the caretaker cabinet of Jiri Rusnok, chosen by Zeman after the fall of Petr Necas’s government in mid-2013, which ruled the country for several months without parliament’s support.
But Zeman said last week he would accept the government’s decision and appoint Rafaj.
Rafaj said he would shorten the administrative proceedings and increase the fines for the most serious delicts.
The UOHS supervises the public procurement, it permits fusions and fines firms forming cartels and abusing their dominant position on the market.
The office also monitors the provision of public support and the abuse of being an important market force. It has 239 employees, which is twice as many as six years ago.
Rafaj was nominated to the post six years ago for the CSSD, same as his predecessor Martin Pecina.
