The most advantageous option for the new headquarters of the NKÚ is the Sazka building

Prague - The most advantageous solution for acquiring a new headquarters for the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) is to purchase the building of the lottery company Sazka in Prague's Vysočany district. Including the land, it would cost 300 million crowns. This is more advantageous than the proposal to extend the current lease from the owner of the building, Tokovo, in Prague's Holešovice, where the office currently resides. The vice president of NKÚ, Miloslav Kala, informed the members of the parliamentary control committee about this today. The committee recommended the purchase of the Sazka building.
     "Acquiring the Sazka building is more advantageous than the proposal for extending the lease agreement from the owner of the Tokovo building," the NKÚ stated in a report to the MPs. The NKÚ is located in rented premises and the lease will expire in September.
     Last year, the office announced a call for tenders for new office spaces. Among the offers received, the Sazka building turned out to be the most advantageous. The NKÚ, citing an expert appraisal from specialists at the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT), states that purchasing this building, even including the necessary related investments, is the most advantageous because there is a possibility of reducing operational costs by up to a third.
     The office is continuously discussing finding funds for the purchase of the headquarters with the Ministry of Finance. "We are in intense negotiations with the Ministry of Finance and are working on resolving this issue," Kala told the MPs. According to him, a decision must be made by April 15.
     Part of the funds, 228 million crowns, could be obtained from the government budget reserve, and additional funds could come from savings from previous years. The office also owns a construction plot in Prague, whose accounting value is approximately 95 million crowns. Deputy Minister of Finance Jan Gregor said that the ministry is ready to address the situation, and the relevant material could be presented to the government as early as next week.
     Today, the committee also addressed the government's decision to withdraw police protection from the NKÚ building due to planned savings, which is currently provided by the Czech Police. The office would have to ensure the protection of the building itself. MP František Laudát (TOP 09) remarked that it is unacceptable for a private company to guard an institution with sensitive materials. Therefore, the committee approved a resolution strongly requesting the Ministry of the Interior to continue providing police security for the NKÚ building.