Kalousek will seek to hold accountability for the Judicial Palace

Prague - Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09) will demand the establishment of personal responsibility for the mistakes surrounding the construction of the Brno justice palace. The two-billion fine imposed by the financial office will, however, be paid by the state to itself. It is still possible that the general director of the financial administration may forgive or reduce the fine. This was stated by Kalousek in today’s Questions of Václav Moravec on Czech Television.
     If the court has to actually pay the fine, Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil (ODS) has already indicated that he will have to ask Kalousek for an increase in his ministry's budget.
     In the event that the fine cannot be forgiven, Kalousek indicated it would be resolved by reallocating the amount in the budget. The finance minister admitted that there is a problem when the penalty concerns the court. Other laws state that the state is obliged to ensure sufficient funds for the courts to be able to judge independently. "Two laws are going against each other in consequence," said Kalousek. He will at least insist on establishing labor law responsibility.
      The penalty was imposed by the Financial Office Brno for various administrative errors related to the construction of the palace. The Financial Directorate Brno rejected the appeal from the Brno Regional Court against the fine. The court intends to request a postponement of the due date and a waiver of the payment.
     The amount of two billion crowns represents all costs associated with the construction of the new Brno judicial complex. The financial office found that the regional court did not proceed correctly regarding the project, and therefore the money allocated by the state should be returned. However, the judicial complex stands and has been fully operational for some time. Back in 2005, it was expected that the complex would cost about 800 million.
     Kalousek called the project a "nice piece of nonsense." A criminal complaint had previously been filed in the matter, but the police shelved it.