The Prague 6 municipal authority has postponed an investigation into the operation of former President Miloš Zeman’s office in an apartment on Jaselská Street that is approved for residential use only. According to the authority, no offence has been committed in this case and if only some of the visits to the apartment are for work, there is no need to re-license it as an office. Marek Zeman, a spokesman for the authority, told Czech Television (CT), which reported the news on its website today.
Zeman started operating his office in April this year. It is located in an apartment building and has the appearance of a regular flat. It was rented from the real estate company XPlace Alfa, founded by the Prague Archbishopric, by the Friends of Miloš Zeman. The association helped Zeman with his return to politics after 2008 and later with his presidential campaign.
In mid-July, the Seznam Zprávy news server reported that the Prague 6 town hall had begun looking into whether the building law had been violated in connection with Zeman’s new office. If the tenant had used the apartment unit in violation of the law, he could face a fine of up to half a million dollars for the offence.
“In this matter, we are of the opinion that if the apartment has been rented out for housing and is occasionally used for receiving visitors of a business nature, such a use does not require so-called ‘re-occupation’ as an office,” a spokesman for Prague 6 said. He added that according to a statement the district received from the owner of the apartment, the Prague Archbishopric, the unit was rented as an apartment and is being used for that purpose.
Zeman’s mandate ended on 8 March this year and he had been president for ten years. By law, the former president is entitled to the running of his office and an assistant’s salary of CZK 50,000 per month.
Source: CTK
