Czech presidential office releases pay of its top clerks - press

The last key state institute that has not released the pay of its senior officials is the Government Office, headed by Prime Minister Petr Necas, the paper writes.

LN demanded the information from the Presidential Office for a year, based on the ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) issued in July 2011 under which "state employees must be viewed as recipients of public money."

The office of President Vaclav Klaus declined to provide the information in spite of the NSS verdict.

LN therefore took the issue to court and the Prague City Court confirmed in late June that Klaus´s office must release the pay of its top clerks.

The average monthly pay of Presidential Office deputy head Petr Hajek was 111,666 crowns in the first six months of the year. Klaus´s secretary Ladislav Jakl received 103,786 crowns a month in the same period, the paper writes.

It says Hajek and Jakl received bonuses of 130,000 and 115,000 crowns, respectively, from January to June.

Thanks to high bonuses, Hajek and Jakl are among about 50 senior state officials that get over 100,000 crowns a month, LN notes.

Presidential Office spokesman Radim Ochvat said bonuses were paid out according to the approved budget.

Jakl wants to file a complaint against the practice of releasing salaries. He claims that his wage is one of his personal data and its release violates his privacy, LN writes.

Earlier this year, media released that Jana Nagyova, head of Necas´s office, got a special bonus on 190,000 crowns in March. Necas was angry that the information leaked from the Government Office and he backed Nagyova, arguing that she is working very hard.

LN has also pressed on the public Czech Television (CT) to release the pay of its top managers.

Oldrich Kuzilek, expert on open public administration, told LN that for example in Britain and the United States salaries of key state officials are available online.

Kuzilek said the Czech Republic should make the salaries available online, too, because the state administration is deformed by the covert financial redistribution. He said this would improve the political culture in the country.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz