Nečas could support Bárta

As informal Public Affairs (VV) party leader Vít Bárta continues to lobby Parliament in search of votes to save him from prosecution on bribery charges, Prime Minister Petr Nečas has reportedly told his party board he will not support lifting Bárta's parliamentary immunity.

Bárta and Nečas have reached a "secret agreement" that would have the Prime Minister vote to protect Bárta's immunity from prosecution, a member of Parliament who declined to be named told The Prague Post.

The MP did not say what was promised to the ODS in return, but several members of Nečas' Civic Democratic Party (ODS) have told the daily Hospodářské noviny (HN) they are now considering not supporting the request by anti-corruption police that Bárta be cleared for prosecution. After investigating allegations that Bárta, who is VV's chief financier and current deputy club leader, bribed former VV MPs Kristýna Kočí and Jaroslav Škárka with hundreds of thousands of crowns in exchange for their loyalty to the party, authorities believed there was enough evidence to prosecute Bárta.

On June 24, they formally asked the Chamber of Deputies to strip him of the immunity from prosecution that is granted to all members of Parliament. A vote is slated for September.

According to the Aug. 9 edition of HN, Nečas told the ODS board he believed the issue was a party matter and should not involve police.

"He said he considers it a political case and that it would be a dangerous precedent if the police were allowed to interfere in developments within political parties," a board member told the paper.

A Parliamentary insider with specific knowledge of the Bárta issue told The Prague Post that rumors of Nečas' fears about opening Bárta up to prosecution had been circulating even before Parliament broke for summer recess at the beginning of August. According to the source, Nečas' decision could dramatically alter the vote, which had previously been estimated to be 116 for and 84 against lifting Bárta's immunity.

"Everyone knows if they vote for lifting Bárta's immunity, the government may fall. It could trigger all kinds of events," the source said. "If Bárta gets ODS support, the big question becomes what will [third coalition partner] TOP 09 do?"

A TOP 09 spokesman confirmed to The Prague Post in July that the party had decided to universally support voting to lift his immunity.

Analysts say a decision by Nečas and the ODS to help Bárta sidestep prosecution would raise major questions regarding their motivation to keep Bárta out of court. While they might argue that intraparty affairs are not police matters, closing the case on Bárta could send a clear message that their primary concern is remaining in power.

"Suspicions arise every time the police are not allowed to prosecute [politicians]," political analyst Bohumil Doležal said. "It leads people to think, what did they get for it? What kind of promise is behind it? The problem is that no party is sure-footed in Parliament."

The bribery scandal has been politically damaging to the entire coalition and has produced a number of casualties, including Bárta himself, who was forced to resign from his post as transport minister once the allegations surfaced in April. In addition, VV Chairman Radek John resigned as interior minister, while Kočí and Škárka were expelled from the party. And as the coalition spent most of the spring and early summer dealing with personnel matters, support for all three parties nosedived among voters.

- Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Jack Buehrer can be reached at
jbuehrer@praguepost.com