The audit, initiated by Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (for Greens) who released its result on its website on Monday evening, indicated that Cunek, deputy PM and local development minister, may have circumvented tax laws and negotiated deals on the internal party line. Cunek was accused of corruption in spring 2007 but his prosecution was Czech deputy PM case information leak disciplinary misdemeanour ...
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Ink dried on conservative-Green coalition ... later halted under unusual circumstances with much of his financial deals remaining unclear. Schwarzenberg made his remaining in the government conditional on the audit's favourable result. The Christian Democrats say they do not want to comment on the audit, worked out by the Kroll agency, since they have not read it yet. Moreover, they said the audit result was no document on the basis of which they should initiate some talks. "I consider it a relationship of two individuals - chairman Cunek and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg," KDU-CSL first deputy head Roman Linek told CTK. On Saturday, Schwarzenberg acquainted Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS) and Deputy PM Martin Bursik (Greens chairman) with the audit report. The two said the document brings no arguments for Cunek to be dismissed from the cabinet. However, Cunek did not give the full police file for the recent audit of his family finances. Out of the roughly 4700 pages, 700 are lacking, a server reported. KDU-CSL deputy head Stanislav Juranek said the audit is only Schwarzenberg's matter. Lower house deputy chairman Jan Kasal (KDU-CSL) said the audit had been ordered by the Greens and this is why it was up to them to draw any conclusions from it. Kasal recalled that Cunek is on holiday in Croatia and that he stressed before his departure he had nothing to fear. Greens deputy head Dana Kuchtova said the audit had at least revealed doubts. In her opinion, Cunek circumvented tax laws when he allegedly received reward for lobbying in the form of per diem, that is not subject to taxation, Kuchtova added. She previously criticised that the Kroll detectives had not received 700 pages from Cunek's files. Kuchtova said Bursik had presented his conclusions from the audit too early and without consulting it with his party. Schwarzenberg will also ask auditors to check the police and state attorneys' procedure in Cunek's case. Kuchtova, however, said Schwarzenberg should not have done it since he thereby harmed the public trust in these institutions. Schwarzenberg confirmed he would stay in the government only if the auditors exonerated Cunek. The audit confirms neither the allegations that Cunek mediated a disadvantageous deal as mayor of Vsetin, north Moravia, nor that he gained his finances in a dubious way, Bursik said on Sunday. Schwarzenberg said on Monday, however, that the investigation has not yet been over because Cunek did not provide the complete police file to the auditors. Cunek was in spring 2007 accused of accepting a 0.5 million crown bribe, in his capacity as mayor of Vsetin, but his prosecution was later halted. Cunek resigned from the government last November when his case of alleged bribery was reopened. It was, however, definitively halted a fortnight later and Cunek returned to the cabinet in April on condition the audit of his family finances worked out by an agency selected by Schwarzenberg would assess his finances. Schwarzenberg said he had mixed feelings about the current audit results because the check had not cleared up the payment of per diem in cash and some questions related to the Vsetin flats. He said the auditors should find a reply to these questions in the documents that they will only get. ($1=14.705 crowns)
(Ceske Noviny)
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