Prague, Dec 16 (CTK) – Danish Ambassador to Prague Christian Hoppe dismissed the information that he refused to sign an anti-corruption statement by foreign embassies because one of the signatories was Canadian Ambassador Otto Jelinek who was linked to a case of suspected corruption, daily Pravo wrote Wednesday.
Citing a diplomatic source that requested anonymity, Pravo wrote on Monday that Hoppe originally wanted to sign the statement, but he did not add his signature because Jelinek had been a lobbyist linked to suspected bribing within a planned purchase of Gripen fighter aircraft by the Czech military.
Hoppe rejected this.
He said he had not been asked to sign the statement in which seven foreign ambassadors to Prague called on the Czech government to curb corruption.
Hoppe said, however, he would not have signed the statement even if he had been asked because he does not consider it productive to take part in such a public declaration in another EU member country.
On December 9, which is the international anti-corruption day, the embassies of Britain, Canada, Finland, Norway, South Korea, Sweden and the USA issued a statement saying they are looking forward to seeing further steps leading to a higher responsibility in the sphere of public procurement, more effective and more independent state attorneys and a more transparent financing of political parties in the Czech Republic next year.
Pravo wrote on Monday that some foreign ambassadors refused to sign the statement due to Jelinek´s involvement in the Gripen corruption scandal, naming only Hoppe and Japanese Ambassador Tetsuo Yamakawa.
The Czech military was negotiating about the purchase of Gripens made by the British-Swedish consortium BAE-Systems. The alleged corruption was investigated by the police in Britain, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
The Czech police launched the investigation into the Gripen case in 2002. In 2007, the case was reopened after new information appeared. The police suspected the key person of the bribing in the Czech Gripen campaign to be Steve Mead. Otto Jelinek, who worked for BAE-Systems in Prague, was to be one of three mediators. Jelinek pleaded innocent. Last year, the police shelved the case.
Jelinek was named ambassador to the Czech Republic in 2013.
