The Olomouc Museum violated the law in the SEFO project

Prague/Olomouc – The Olomouc Museum of Art has repeatedly violated public procurement law while searching for a design for the new Central European Forum Olomouc (SEFO) museum building. Miroslav Leixner, director of the ministry's internal audit and control department, stated this to journalists. The management of the Olomouc Museum of Art rejected the accusations of violating the law.

The museum is now in dispute with the ministry, and its employees are calling for the resignation of Minister Antonín Staněk (ČSSD). The museum's management has so far advocated for the construction based on a ten-year-old design that resulted from a small-scale public procurement study. According to Leixner, that process was not transparent. Staněk wants an architectural competition for the construction costing 600 million crowns.

"We filed objections against the control findings of the MK, which were dismissed by the ministry without considering the museum's arguments, which were supported by email instructions from the responsible departments of the MK," said Tomáš Kasal, spokesperson for the Museum of Art, to ČTK, adding that the museum's management is tasked with preparing corrective measures for the audit. "They are currently working on that," he added.

The SEFO project, which the museum has been planning for over a decade, aims to capture the post-war development of visual arts in Central Europe. The project includes constructing a building in the gap next to the Museum of Modern Art. Initially, the museum sought to obtain funds from European grants, but that was unsuccessful, and the project stalled for a long time. Recently, the government included it in its investment plans. Staněk justifies the need for a transparent competition with this as well.

"I do not want to take away the autonomy of the museum of art for those 600 million crowns; I am concerned about the political responsibility, which is as important as the economic one. I want to be assured that the project does not end up like other past projects—overpriced and with further unexpected demands," Staněk said today.

The Museum of Art, at Minister Staněk's order, has already started work on a new architectural competition according to Kasal. "It is essential to note that the government has dealt with the SEFO project within the framework of the current project and, in this current version, has acknowledged its financing. A new project will mean a time delay and increased costs for the entire project," Kasal pointed out.

The Czech Chamber of Architects, which organizes architectural competitions by law, warned on Thursday that if the Museum of Art insisted on announcing the competition, it would have to exclude architect Jan Šépka's proposal. According to the chamber, Šépka would have a competitive advantage over others. "However, if it were to exclude him, architect Šépka has already declared that he would contest the competition for discrimination against him. This deadlock can only be resolved through joint discussions involving the MK, the Museum of Art, the Czech Chamber of Architects, and architect Jan Šépka," added Kasal, noting that communication with the ministry is currently difficult.

After the government's approval of the investment program for cultural institutions in January, the MK sent an inspection to the museum, which reviewed the documentation for the SEFO project and found violations of the law according to Leixner. The museum attempted to announce an architectural competition for the project in 2009 but reportedly did not do so due to a lack of funds for the winners' awards. Then, on July 15, it announced a small-scale public procurement for the SEFO study.

The museum also argues that if an architectural competition were held now, the ministry could face lawsuits. The MK denies this, stating that the contract from 2009 is terminable. René Schreier, the economic deputy of the MK, said today that he has been communicating with the museum's director about the preparation of the competition since 2014.