Committee to take criminal case against ex-ministers over OKD selloff

A lower house investigative committee is to take a criminal case against a number of politicians involved in the privatisation of the OKD mining company. The move pertains to former Social Democratic Party ministers Bohuslav Sobotka and Milan Urban and to Vladimír Dlouhý and Jiří Skalický, who were ministers for the Civic Democratic Alliance. It also involves businessmen Zdeněk Bakala, Viktor Koláček and others.

Pirate Party MP Lukáš Černohorský said the committee had doubts about whether Mr. Dlouhý acted in accordance with the law when, as industry minister, he placed state-owned apartments under OKD.

The case against Mr. Sobotka, who later became prime minister, and Mr. Urban, centres on the sell-off of a minority stake in OKD in 2004.

Mr. Černohorský said the then ministers had failed to negotiate a price advantageous to the state.

Author: Ian Willoughby