He reiterated that the audit had replied the three fundamental questions about Cunek's alleged bribery, concluding that Cunek could have hardly accepted the bribe. The other doubts the audit revealed are the matter of Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (for Greens, SZ), who initiated the audit, Topolanek added. Cunek was accused of corruption in spring 2007 but his prosecution was later halted under unusual circumstances with much of his financial deals remaining unclear. Schwarzenberg made his remaining in the government conditional on the Cunek audit's favourable result. The audit of the Cunek family finances, worked out by the Kroll detective agency, has revealed that Cunek, as a safety technician in the the arms producer Zbrojovka Vsetin, north Czech deputy PM case information leak disciplinary misdemeanour ...
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Cunek allegedly received rewards for the lobbying in cash in the form of per diem that is not subject to taxation. Then Zbrojovka Vsetin director Karel Dancak said Cunek had been lobbying for Zbrojovka to gain the government order for the Plamen (Flame) gun for the Czech-made L-159 aircraft. The auditors found out that current Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (KDU-CSL) had then worked as deputy defence minister responsible for the purchase of property and budget. However, Kalousek dismissed having talked with Cunek about any orders in the 1990s. "Between 1994-1997, I knew Cunek only superficially as a member of the [KDU-CSL] national committee. I have never negotiated security affairs with him," Kalousek told reporters. He noted it was beyond his understanding that Cunek in the position of a safety technician could have negotiated such deals. Topolanek said he had received the key answer about the bribery case. "I can leave anything else to your speculations," he added. On Saturday, Schwarzenberg acquainted Topolanek and Deputy PM Martin Bursik (Greens chairman) with the audit report. The two said the document brings no arguments for Cunek to be dismissed from the cabinet. However, Cunek did not give the full police file to the auditors. Out of the roughly 4700 pages, 700 are lacking. According to the analysis, Cunek did not know that the Kroll agency had not received 700 pages of his files, Topolanek said. The Kroll detectives will require these pages, which is Schwarzenberg's activity for his money, Topolanek added, hinting at the fact that Schwarzenberg covered the audit's costs. "He can do whatever he wants in this respect," said Topolanek. Schwarzenberg said on Monday that the investigation was not yet over because Cunek did not provide the complete police file to the auditors. Schwarzenberg, who will also ask auditors to check the police and state attorneys' procedure in Cunek's case, confirmed he would stay in the government only if the auditors exonerated Cunek. Cunek was in spring 2007 accused of accepting a 0.5 million crown bribe, in his capacity as mayor of Vsetin, but his prosecution was later halted. Cunek resigned from the government last November when his case of alleged bribery was reopened. It was, however, definitively halted a fortnight later and Cunek returned to the cabinet in April on condition the audit of his family finances worked out by an agency selected by Schwarzenberg would assess his finances. ($1=14.705 crowns)
(Ceske Noviny)
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