Peake forms anti-corruption group

Deputy Prime Minister Karolína Peake (Public Affairs, VV) is forming a committee of seven Cabinet members that will serve as the chief body for monitoring and combating corruption.

Peake, who formerly headed VV's MP club prior to being appointed Prime Minister Petr Nečas' (Civic Democrats, ODS) deputy for anti-corruption, said the group will likely begin work in September. In addition to Peake, the committee includes Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09), Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil (ODS), Transport Minister Pavel Dobeš (VV), Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09), Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra (ODS), Regional Development Minister Kamil Jankovský (VV) and unaffiliated Interior Minister Jan Kubice. Peake's deputy, Robert Vacek, who will be the only non-Cabinet member on the committee, rounds out the committee.

"If I want to be serious about fighting corruption and implementing a strategy to do that, I need to have all of the right people in the room with me," Peake said. "[The committee] needs the input of ministers who are responsible for the departments that can be most touched by corruption. That's the only way I can get things passed. If I speak to their deputies and assistants, I'll never have that chance."

The tripartite coalition government has been quick to trumpet anti-corruption measures as a priority, despite serious allegations of misdeeds that continue to dog its top leaders.

One of the first items likely to cross the committee's desk is the decision of a district court to give an eight-month suspended sentence to František Dohnal, head of the Supreme Audit Office. Dohnal was convicted of refusing to provide information to officials who were conducting an audit. He is now appealing.

Jack Buehrer can be reached at
jbuehrer@praguepost.com