Prime minister defends Innsbruck trip

(Updated Nov. 30, 2007) Opposition politicians want to know about Prime Minister Miroslav Topolánek's detour to the ski slopes in a government airplane when coming back from Sofia, Bulgaria, on Nov. 9, iDNES.cz reported Friday.

"I should have used a parachute," Prime Minister Miroslav Topolánek said when questioned about his impromptu ski trip to Innsbruck. "I do parachute sometimes, but I was afraid to do it due to the weather."

Topolánek initially denied having skied. However, he was spotted racing down the slopes with his assistant Marek Dalík, according to the weekly newspaper Týden,.

Government spokeswoman Jana Bartošová told iDNES.cz that the premier had met with Austrian Ambassador Jan Koukal, and his movements after that were not public.

“The Czech premier is a person legally entitled to protection. Therefore it is not up to him whether he uses the Czech Army's air transport or a vehicle with security personnel. On the contrary, he has to accept this as a part of his duties," she said in a statement.

All that is known for sure is that, from Innsbruck, the premier's entourage continued on to Prague without him.

“We left without him. What he did over the weekend is his business," Bartošová said.

Other articles in In the Czech press (28/11/2007):

• Extortion a way of life for 20 percent of Czech companies
• Greens oppose Čunek's return to cabinet
• Award-winning Czech director finishes film
• American investment fund buys Web portal
• War of the sexes
• "Love nest" hotels on the rise

Be the first to add a comment!

Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.