Companies owned by a sponsor of the junior coalition party LIDEM have received public orders worth CZK 2bn from the state-owned Road and Motorway Authority (ŘSD) since 2009. The server Česká pozice published the news based on an audit by ŘSD. The majority of the orders were for road repairs and maintenance.
Dalibor Tesař, whose companies received the public orders totaling CZ 2bn, gave LIDEM two sponsor gifts worth CZK 2.25m. The party was established last spring when it broke away from the then junior government party Věci veřejné and replaced it in the coalition. Tesař gave the money to LIDEM via company cresco&finance, according to Česká pozice. Tesař’s companies won public orders worth CZK 750m in 2009, CZK 850m in 2010 and CZK 320m in 2011-12. The transport ministry has been led by Věci veřejné since June 2010, when Vít Bárta took over. Since then, two other VV/LIDEM deputies have taken turns running the ministry.