Prague, June 8 (CTK) – The Czech cabinet approved yesterday the dismissal of senator Eva Sykova from the government Council for Research, Development and Innovations (RVVI) on the proposal of Pavel Belobradek, deputy PM for research, his spokeswoman Adela Klimesova told CTK.
Sykova, who was the council’s first deputy chairperson, resigned last week over a scandal involving controversial stem cell therapy.
Last week, Sykova also resigned as head of the Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Academy of Sciences (AV), but she will continue her scientific work in the institute.
The institute has an interim director until a new regular head arises from a tender.
An internal financial audit has started in the institute this week.
Public Czech Television (CT) reported last week that members of Sykova’s expert team had collected 150,000 crowns as “a sponsor’s gift” from the patients for their participation in a clinical study of stem cells treatment of the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), though the law declared people’s participation in clinic research cost-free.
Sykova denies any wrongdoing and insists that she wanted to help ALS patients.
($1=23.815 crowns)
rtj/dr/hol
