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| Czech Police Raid Government Offices | |
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| The organized crime unit of the Czech police raided government offices in Prague early Thursday morning and detained several officials in what was described as an extensive operation, the Czech media reported. | The organized crime unit of the Czech police raided government offices in Prague early Thursday morning and detained several officials in what was described as an extensive operation, the Czech media reported. |
| According to the online version of Mlada fronta Dnes, a leading Czech newspaper, those detained included several senior officials from the center-right governing party of Prime Minister Petr Necas, whose coalition government has been rocked by a series of corruption scandals that have pushed it to the brink of collapse. | According to the online version of Mlada fronta Dnes, a leading Czech newspaper, those detained included several senior officials from the center-right governing party of Prime Minister Petr Necas, whose coalition government has been rocked by a series of corruption scandals that have pushed it to the brink of collapse. |
| Among those detained, the newspaper said, was Jana Nagyova, Mr. Necas’s chief of staff. Reports in the Czech media said she had come under scrutiny in the past for receiving large bonuses from the state. Ondrej Palenik, the former head of military intelligence, was also arrested, Mlada fronta Dnes reported, as well as Petr Tluchor and Ivan Fuksa, former members of Parliament from the party of Mr. Necas, both of whom recently resigned under mysterious circumstances. Roman Bocek, a former senior official at the ministry of agriculture, was also detained. | Among those detained, the newspaper said, was Jana Nagyova, Mr. Necas’s chief of staff. Reports in the Czech media said she had come under scrutiny in the past for receiving large bonuses from the state. Ondrej Palenik, the former head of military intelligence, was also arrested, Mlada fronta Dnes reported, as well as Petr Tluchor and Ivan Fuksa, former members of Parliament from the party of Mr. Necas, both of whom recently resigned under mysterious circumstances. Roman Bocek, a former senior official at the ministry of agriculture, was also detained. |
| The police declined to comment on the motive for the arrests. The Czech media reported that the organized crime unit raided the government offices in Prague at 12:30 a.m., about 90 minutes after cabinet members had left the building. About 400 officers conducted raids across the country on Wednesday and Thursday, part of the same operation, and the raids were ongoing. | The police declined to comment on the motive for the arrests. The Czech media reported that the organized crime unit raided the government offices in Prague at 12:30 a.m., about 90 minutes after cabinet members had left the building. About 400 officers conducted raids across the country on Wednesday and Thursday, part of the same operation, and the raids were ongoing. |
| Vaclav Laska, a prominent lawyer specializing in corruption cases, said the arrests were an encouraging sign. He stressed that the prosecution of corruption cases until recently had been rare and the problem persisted because graft and bribery were considered by many Czechs to be a normal part of daily life. | Vaclav Laska, a prominent lawyer specializing in corruption cases, said the arrests were an encouraging sign. He stressed that the prosecution of corruption cases until recently had been rare and the problem persisted because graft and bribery were considered by many Czechs to be a normal part of daily life. |
| “Bribery has been perceived in Czech society as something normal and nobody is even surprised to hear about it anymore,” he said. | “Bribery has been perceived in Czech society as something normal and nobody is even surprised to hear about it anymore,” he said. |
| Countries across Eastern and Central Europe and the Balkans have been experiencing a surge of corruption, the legacy of decades of communist rule. The European Union is so concerned about lawlessness among its new members that Romania and Bulgaria, which both entered in 2007, have been blocked from joining the bloc’s visa-free area. In Croatia, which is set to join the European Union in July, former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has been charged with embezzlement. | Countries across Eastern and Central Europe and the Balkans have been experiencing a surge of corruption, the legacy of decades of communist rule. The European Union is so concerned about lawlessness among its new members that Romania and Bulgaria, which both entered in 2007, have been blocked from joining the bloc’s visa-free area. In Croatia, which is set to join the European Union in July, former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has been charged with embezzlement. |
| In the Czech Republic, the arrests came amid a growing backlash against corruption that has blighted confidence in the political class. In Transparency International’s 2012 Corruption Perception Index, the Czech Republic was ranked 54th alongside Bahrain and Latvia on a list of 176 countries. | In the Czech Republic, the arrests came amid a growing backlash against corruption that has blighted confidence in the political class. In Transparency International’s 2012 Corruption Perception Index, the Czech Republic was ranked 54th alongside Bahrain and Latvia on a list of 176 countries. |
| When the former Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, issued an amnesty decree at the beginning of the year that exonerated dozens of individuals on trial over allegations of financial corruption, the national fury was so intense that some mayors and teachers took his portrait off the walls of their offices and classrooms. Mr. Klaus was subsequently accused of treason, but was exonerated. | When the former Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, issued an amnesty decree at the beginning of the year that exonerated dozens of individuals on trial over allegations of financial corruption, the national fury was so intense that some mayors and teachers took his portrait off the walls of their offices and classrooms. Mr. Klaus was subsequently accused of treason, but was exonerated. |
| Corruption is so rife that one industrious Czech started a corruption bus tour around Prague. One of the stops on the tour is an address that 589 companies registered as their headquarters. | Corruption is so rife that one industrious Czech started a corruption bus tour around Prague. One of the stops on the tour is an address that 589 companies registered as their headquarters. |
Hama de Goeij contributed reporting from Prague. | Hama de Goeij contributed reporting from Prague. |