Czech deputy defense minister, suspected of corruption, relieved of his duties

(BRUSSELS2) New development in corruption cases in the Czech Republic which involves - once again - the Finnish armored vehicle manufacturer, Patria. Czech Deputy Defense Minister Jaroslav Kopřiva has just been relieved of his duties by his superior, Minister Alexandr Vondra. This decision follows an article published in the newspaper Mlada Fronta Dnes which details, recording and photo in support, several "conversations" between the minister, his friend and lobbyist Josef Jindra and the representatives of the industrialist, on a contract for mortars for the Czech army. These conversations are held in an international law firm in the center of Bratislava, the capital of the neighboring Slovak state, others in a restaurant in Old Prague. In particular, it is a matter of a fairly sophisticated mechanism for circumventing the official selection procedure (by involving Slovakia and invoking strategic interests, it is thus possible to escape the tendering procedures), of a market conversation, a commission in the form of a percentage, a payment from a foreign account... In short, great art.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)