Upon his appointment as minister of interior, Jan Kubice (unaffiliated) announced that he was not planning on making any sweeping personnel changes. But in just four working days since his appointment Kubice has announced that four of the five deputy ministers are to be replaced. According to Thursday’s Lidové noviny the fifth, Viktor Čech, is also to be given his notice.
Kubice announced on April 26 that Jaroslav Salivar and Jiří Franc, both deputy ministers for security, were to leave their posts on the grounds that they are poor communicators. Both are leaving immediately, and Kubice said he will personally appoint their successors.
A day later, he announced that František Vavera, deputy minister for state administration and legislation, is to leave his post by the end of the month.
Then on Thursday, the daily Lidové noviny cited an unnamed high-ranking source in the Interior Ministry as saying that the last survivor, Viktor Čech, deputy minister for international affairs, is also to be dismissed. When Kubice took over as interior minister … he ruled out a radical staff overhaul.
When Kubice took over as interior minister a week earlier, he ruled out a radical staff overhaul. “I’m not planning any massive changes. Not to begin with at least,” Kubice said.
Michal Moroz, the deputy minister for strategy and program management, announced his resignation the very day of Kubice’s appointment. Moroz allegedly has close ties with the security firm and detective agency ABL, founded by former Transport Minister Vít Bárta, the de facto boss of the Public Affairs (VV) party. Former Interior Minister Radek John (VV), who is to take up the newly created post of anti-corruption czar in the Government Office, is insisting that Michal Moroz be made his deputy, a step Prime Minister Petr Nečas (Civic Democrats, ODS) has firmly rejected.
So far the only person reported to have been offered a deputy ministerial post by Kubice is Jaroslav Hruška, who served under Kubice when he was the boss of the police anti-organized crime unit (ÚOOZ).
“It’s true that I’ve received an offer to work in the minister’s close team and I have accepted it,” Hruška told the daily Právo.
Hruška led the ÚOOZ investigation into the murder of controversial businessman František Mrázek. He also participated in the select parliamentary committee hearing in 2006 at which Kubice and other colleagues from ÚOOZ presented the infamous Kubice Report. It alleged that organized crime groups had infiltrated the state administration and politics with Social Democrat (ČSSD) leaders allegedly seeking to influence police investigations. The report came just days before parliamentary elections that resulted in the fall of the ČSSD from power. Party leaders said the report had been politically motivated.
After leaving ÚOOZ at the end of 2007, Kubice co-founded founded the security firm and detective agency Sub S.A. He has announced that he intends to offload his stake in the company, and he is no longer mentioned on the firm’s website.
John was forced to step down following a payment scandal centered on Bárta, which threatened to topple the government. Strained relations between parties were restored following a Cabinet reshuffle last week.
