ČTK

MP’s To Debate Ondracek’s Release For Prosecution September 5

Zdenek Ondracek

Prague, Aug 16 (CTK) – The Czech lower house mandate committee will start dealing with the police request for the release of Communist (KSCM) MP Zdenek Ondracek for prosecution on September 5, its head Stanislav Grospic said today, and the state attorney said the request is based on businessman Michal Horacek’s complaint.

 

The committee will probably interrupt its debate on the issue and give its recommendation on MPs’ vote on the police request to the Chamber of Deputies at one of its following meetings, Grospic (KSCM) and the committee deputy head Petr Gazdik (Mayors and Independents, STAN) said.

 

Novinky.cz server on Wednesday reported that the police seek the prosecution of Ondracek over his abusive comments on Horacek, a former unsuccessful candidate for president.

 

“Mr Ondracek, in spite of all the documents I made public, branded me a [communist secret police] StB collaborator and a fartsovshchik [an underhand moneychanger in communist era],” Horacek tweeted on Wednesday.

 

Speculations on whether the police request is really connected with Horacek’s complaint were officially confirmed by the Prague Municipal State Attorney’s Office today, cited by the server iDnes.cz.

 

“The Municipal State Attorney’s Office supervises the operation of district state attorney’s offices. We acquainted ourselves with the relevant file today and we could confirm this information,” the office spokesman Ales Cimbala told CTK.

 

The police said information about the case would be provided by the relevant district State Attorney’s Office in Prague 2, whose chief Tomas Svoboda, nevertheless, said the office would not release any information about it during the ongoing early phase of investigation.

 

Grospic said the lower house rapporteur for the police request would have to be chosen.

 

Moreover, the supervisory state attorney should enable Ondracek to get acquainted with the request as well, Grospic added.

 

According to the order of procedure, the Chamber of Deputies will decide on the police request at its next meeting.

 

Gazdik pointed to older verdicts by the Supreme Court in the case of lucrative posts for deputies, according to which MPs’ immunity applies only to their statements in the Chamber of Deputies.

 

He added that Ondracek had not said his words about Horacek, for which he was supposed to be prosecuted, in the Chamber of Deputies.

 

“Moreover, Mr Horacek has a chance to deal with this case in civilian proceedings,” Gazdik said.

 

Ondracek accused Horacek of cooperation with the StB in the media during the campaign before the January direct presidential election. Horacek resolutely dismissed this and filed a criminal complaint against Ondracek early this year.

 

The police eventually shelved the case, but Novinky.cz says the state attorney’s office returned it to the police for new investigation some time ago.

 

Horacek ended fourth of nine candidates in the presidential race, in which Milos Zeman was re-elected as president for another five-year term.