Prague, June 9 (CTK) – Senior police officers from the Squad for Uncovering Organised Crime (UOOZ), including its head Robert Slachta, will ask to be released from the service due to the planned merger of the UOOZ and another elite unit within a police overhaul, spokesman Pavel Hantak said yesterday.
Slachta told the police command during yesterday’s meeting at the police headquarters that he disagreed with the changes, Hantak said.
“Robert Slachta has told the police command that since he disagrees with the prepared changes, he cannot take part in them,” he added.
“This is why he will deliver his request to be released from the services to the police president in the days to come,” Hantak said.
“Along with him, his deputy Stanislav Ruzicka and some department heads have announced their resignation,” he adds.
The plans have caused disputes in the coalition government and between state attorneys. Critics say the changes might affect the investigation into some complicated cases.
The police command wants to build a single National Centre against Organised Crime (NCOZ) that is newly to be comprised of the UOOZ and the Office for Uncovering of Corruption and Financial Crime (UOKFK).
After the plan was officially unveiled on Wednesday, Slachta said he was dissatisfied with the police command not having informed him about the overhaul beforehand.
Supreme State Attorney Pavel Zeman has written a letter to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD), in which he expressed the fear that the change might affect the quality of the police work.
Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (CSSD) still stands by the overhaul.
He said Slachta’s announcement was a political gesture.
Chovanec said he did not understand why Slachta had not waited for the final decision on the overhaul.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) said Chovanec had destabilised the police and the ANO would reconsider its staying in the government.
Chovanec said Babis was attacking the independence of the police.
The police command wants to build the NCOZ as a body with with five special departments dealing with organised crime, terrorism, cyber crime, most serious economic crime and corruption, headed by a single director.
The speculations have surfaced that Slachta is to be sidelined.
On Wednesday, police president Tomas Tuhy said there would be a place for Slachta even in the new body and that his position was firm.
Slachta has been heading the UOOZ since 2008.
Justice Minister Robert Pelikan (ANO) said he was shocked at the announcement of Slachta’s leaving the service.
“I am sad and shocked and also angry,” Pelikan said.
“These are the police officers we should not lose,” he added.
“If he cannot see his role with the police, something is bad and something should happen,” Pelikan has told the server Aktualne.cz.
On Wednesday, Pelikan said he disagreed with the overhaul, adding that he was considering resigning over it.
