Czech education minister quits over meetings with mafia associate

The Czech education minister has resigned after his political allies were arrested over alleged involvement with organised crime groups.

Petr Gazdík said on Twitter that he would step down “despite the fact that I do not feel guilty of anything” after politicians in his localist Mayors and Independents Movement (Stan) were arrested and charged on 17 June with bribery, involvement in organised crime and suspicions of drug use.

“I do not want to shake the government or the coalition on the threshold of the EU presidency,” wrote Mr Gazdík, referring to the Czech Republic’s chairing of European Union ministerial meetings and lead role in policymaking from July to December this year.

Police raided Prague’s City Hall and buildings belonging to the Prague Transport Company last week, subsequently charging 11 people over links to the finances of the 100-year-old company, which is wholly owned by the city.

Local media reported that those arrested include Michal Redl, a former associate of a fugitive criminal kingpin who met several times with Mr Gazdík, and Prague deputy mayor Petr Hlubuček.

Czech prime minister Petr Fiala praised Mr Gazdík’s decision to resign despite him maintaining his innocence, calling it “an expression of the change in political culture that this governing coalition wants to pursue”.

The Czech Republic faced major issues with political corruption in the decades after the collapse of communist rule in 1989. “This is an honest solution that we have not been used to in high politics in recent years,” said Professor Fiala, who is also a former rector of Masaryk University.

Mr Gazdík, a former primary school teacher and a visiting lecturer at Prague’s Charles University, rose to prominence as co-founder of Stan, a liberal political alliance that he led for a decade. He also resigned as vice-chair of the party, which said it was examining its donations as a result of the arrests.

The Czech Republic’s six-month stint hosting the presidency of the EU begins on 1 July. The rotating role is a chance to steer EU policymaking, because host ministries and ministers set the agenda for discussions between member countries.

The Czech government’s overall priorities for its EU role include the Ukraine refugee crisis and post-war reconstruction; strengthening European defence and cybersecurity; and the resilience of democratic institutions.

Jiří Drahoš, emeritus chair of the Czech Academy of Sciences and a Stan-affliated senator, said he was confident the government “will be able to choose a quality successor in the shortest possible time”.

ben.upton@timeshighereducation.com