Prague, Sept 5 (CTK) – Czech Finance Minister and deputy PM Andrej Babis (ANO) insists on the police restructuring being expedient and at variance with the coalition agreement and the police concept, he told reporters after a meeting of the lower house commission looking into the police reform on Monday.
Babis expressed surprise at some questions by the MPs from the commission, and he said he had a feeling like being questioned by the police.
The sharply criticised police shake-up was based on the merger of two elite police units, the organised crime (anti-mafia) squad (UOOZ) and the corruption squad (UOKFK) into the new National Centre against Organised Crime (NCOZ) as of August 1.
Babis sharply criticised the reform and his ANO threatened to leave the government coalition with the Social Democrats (CSSD) and Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) because of it, but eventually changed its mind.
“Nothing has changed for me. It [police reform] is at variance with the coalition agreement and in contradiction with the police concept for 2016-2020 that was approved by the National Security Council and debated by the government,” Babis said.
Babis again denied having some close links to former UOOZ head Robert Slachta and called such information rumours.
Babis said he had talked to Slachta only in connection with various threats.
Slachta left the police corps in protest against the restructuring as of June 30. Now he works in the Customs Authority, which comes under Babis’s Finance Ministry.
The lower house commission is to meet again on Thursday afternoon. It should continue hearing former UOOZ elite detective Jiri Komarek.
