Vesecká is monitoring the case of the sale of St. Michael

Prague - The Prague Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office has returned the case concerning the sale of St. Michael's Church in Prague to its subordinate office. The District Prosecutor's Office in Prague has shelved the criminal complaint filed against the National Library regarding the sale of this monument. According to Aktuálně.cz, the case is being monitored by the Chief Public Prosecutor Renáta Vesecká. "If the district prosecutors decide to shelve the complaint again, we will conduct an investigation on our own initiative," Vesecká told Aktuálně.cz. The state sold the church to its long-time tenant last summer, who now reportedly wants to sell it.
    St. Michael's Church in the Old Town of Prague has been the subject of disputes since the early 1990s. Some heritage protectors, non-governmental anti-corruption organizations, and other entities continue to criticize the reconstruction of the building, the former disadvantageous lease agreement, and now also the sale of the property.
    The structure, with a history spanning several centuries, was transferred to the present National Library in the 1980s in poor condition, but it was reportedly unsuitable for them. After various attempts to offer the property to another state institution or sell it at a public auction, the state ultimately signed a lease contract valid until 2029 in the 1990s.
    The tenant carried out a very controversial reconstruction, and the Ministry of Culture confirmed that he invested nearly half a billion crowns. Although the tenant operated the property in violation of the state's expectations, the ministry could not terminate the contract. If it were canceled, the state would have to compensate for the value of the reconstruction that it had recognized itself. The new director of the library sold the property to the tenant for 46 million crowns last year; according to critics, the estimated value of the property is much higher.
    The criminal complaint regarding the sale of the church was filed against the library by Jiří Pešek, the head of the European Center for Old Sacred Architecture, which would like to acquire the building itself, according to Aktuálně.cz. An anti-corruption organization, the Pink Panther, also filed a lawsuit against the National Library, specifically regarding the sale of the church. The association suggested in its lawsuit that the state should be declared the owner of the church. However, the court ruled this spring that the association, not being the owner of the property, had no legal standing to request a change of ownership.
    Even though information has emerged since spring this year that the new owner of the church, Jerri Nowikovsky, wants to offer the property back to the state for repurchase, the ministry has never officially confirmed this. In July, Nowikovsky presented his idea to establish a museum of Czech glass in the church. However, he stated that it definitely would not exist before one or two years and that the establishment of the museum and necessary renovations would require five million euros (approximately 142 million crowns), which he is still seeking.
    He also mentioned back then that the state is still considering buying the property back. "The statement suggesting that the state wants to buy the property back is not accurate," said Ministry spokesperson Ludmila Kadrnková at the time to ČTK. The ministry wants to address the damage caused by the previous reconstruction, but discussions about the repurchase of the property have not taken place, she stated.
    After several student protests against the sale of the church that took place since May, the current Minister of Culture Martin Štěpánek changed the long-term strategy of his office, stating that the ownership of the church by its long-time tenant is the only possible way to utilize the building. The minister is reportedly considering whether the current owner of the church could receive another property from the state. The state should then seek other uses for the monument.