Prague, Dec 21 (CTK) – Petr Dohnal, who was reinstated as Czech Prison Service director by a court verdict on Friday, has launched personnel changes in the corps management, dismissing several senior officers including deputy directors, a source acquainted with the situation has told CTK.
Justice Minister Robert Pelikan (for ANO) told CTK that Dohnal has announced the planned changes to him beforehand.
The sacked officers include the Prison Service deputy director for security, Milan Brendl, the deputy director for logistics and IT, Miroslav Honzik, and the deputy director for education, Pavel Horak.
Robert Kacer has been sacked as head of the director´s office.
According to the server Novinky.cz, the other sacked officers are Zaneta Vika, head of the department for investments, central purchases and EU funds, and Eva Chalupna, who headed the personnel department.
“I think any director should have the right to choose the team of their closest aides,” Pelikan said.
According to CTK´s source, Dohnal announced the dismissals together with the directors of the prisons in Plzen and Olomouc, Petr Vlk and Jiri Ruprecht, respectively, but it is not clear whether the two will fill the vacant posts of Prison Service deputy directors.
Dohnal was reinstated in the top post based on a court decision that abolished last year´s dismissal of Dohnal by former Justice Minister Helena Valkova (for ANO).
Pelikan can file a cassation complaint against the verdict, but the complaint would not have a postponing effect. Pelikan has not yet said whether he would file the complaint.
Pelikan was scheduled to meet Dohnal yesterday but the meeting was adjourned until Tuesday for time reasons.
Dohnal was first appointed Prison Service director in December 2012. Valkova dismissed him for loss of trust and over alleged problems in financial management in April 2014, but he filed a remonstrance against the decision.
Valkova interrupted the remonstrance proceedings in July until the General Inspection of Security Corps (GIBS) investigates an allegedly overpriced contract signed under Dohnal.
rtj/dr/ms
