The ex-ministers also said their predecessor Martin Bojar, who stirred up the long-lasting case, would have justified his steps in court. According to the arbitration verdict, the Czech Republic must pay 8.33 billion crowns to Diag Human as compensation as from July 2007.
Since then it has been increasing by another interest of about 1.3 million a day, so the final sum is approaching nine billion crowns. The case was triggered by a letter that then health minister Bojar wrote to the Danish company NovoNordisk in 1992 after which the firm cut cooperation with Diag Human. Diag Human then demanded 14 billion crowns in compensation for the state having allegedly destroyed its lucrative deals with blood plasma in the early Latest news - 14-08-2008 ...
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Madonna's adoption case approved ... 1990s. In 1998 already another arbitration panel recognised Diag Human's claim to compensation by the Czech Republic and a public apology. Since then the dispute has only been over the level of compensation. It was Jan Strasky (Civic Democrats, ODS), health minister in 1995-1998, who decided to submit the case to the arbitration proceedings. "He was pushing it through in spite of the opinion of the then government and he thereby circumvented the Finance Ministry's directive," said Ivan David (Social Democrats, CSSD), one of Strasky's successors at the ministry's helm. Former minister Zuzana Roithova (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) said not only Strasky was to blame for the failure. "In my opinion, not he [Strasky] personally, but rather then deputy ministers Ales Dvoulety, Ondrej Typolt and financial section head Karel Srba," Roithova told CTK. She recalled that Srba, who later became Foreign Ministry general secretary, is now serving a prison sentence for having planned a journalist's murder. However, David pointed out that the minister is responsible for his subordinates and he signs their proposals. Strasky is now abroad and he does not answer phone calls. Roithova, health minister in the caretaker cabinet in 1998, said Bojar should get a chance to defend his act in court. In the post of health minister, she proposed that the case be decided in court proceedings, she added. Bojar refused to comment on the case. He told CTK previously that his doubts about the company's reliability were based on the finding that Conneco (now Diag) company stored blood plasma without an authorised permit for a free manipulation with it. He said he also had information about the company's efforts to export a hypnotic substance (drug) to Lesotho, Africa. Bojar therefore turned to law-enforcement bodies. However, he said there was no political will to solve the case so no one was accused eventually. An inspection in the blood transfusion station in Prague-Zbraslav at the beginning of 1992 confirmed Bojar's doubts, proving that Diag stored plasma without any labels in coolers though trading in anonymous blood plasma was risky with regard to HIV infection. David, who replaced Roithova at the Health Ministry's helm, said he believes Bojar would prove in court he was right. The court did nothing in the case during the 17 months when David headed the ministry. Moreover, then CSSD PM Vladimir Spidla negotiated with the lawyers of Diag Human and he later withdrew a lawsuit from court. "The company [Diag Human] would have had no chance at all in court," David said. Current Health Minister Tomas Julinek (ODS) says the evidence submitted does not justify the payment of any compensation and that he would propose to the government that it use all possibilities of reviewing the decision. The decision may be also re-assessed by other arbitrator or a court, he added. Former health minister Bohumil Fiser (CSSD), on his part, said it was Bojar who made the first key mistake by sending the letter to NovoNordisk. However, like Roithova, Fiser also considers the decision on arbitration to solve the case a mistake. The government assigned Fiser in 1996 to agree on a compromise and close the case, but the effort failed and the dispute continued. Marie Souckova (CSSD), health minister in 2002-2004, who was tried in court over the selection of a lawyer defending the Czech Republic in the Diag Human dispute, refused to comment on the case. ($1=16.065 crowns)
(Ceske Noviny)
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