Prague businessman not to cover Fischer´s campaign debt - press

Fischer´s debt amounts to seven to eight million crowns, MfD writes.

Winterstein said he wants to help Fischer solve the situation but not by covering his debts.

"My job is to analyse the situation and help solve it somehow. But not financially. A solution does exist, that is why Mr Fischer has left for a holiday," Winterstein told the daily.

Fischer is staying in Los Angeles now.

Some invoices in question must be paid soon. For example, 3.6 million crowns for advertisements presented by the Czech Post Office should be paid by the end of February, MfD writes.

"As Mr Fischer said Mr Winterstein will settle the affair, I believed that he will pay [the debt]. I think Mr Winterestein got upset by his identity being revealed, which he did not want," one of Fischer´s aides told the daily.

Fischer originally asserted he was discussing the debt coverage with his biggest sponsor, billionaire Tomas Chrenek, who, however, said he was not negotiating any further gift with Fischer.

Fischer, former head of the Czech interim cabinet of unaffiliated experts, was a favourite of the direct presidential election. However, he surprisingly failed to advance to the runoff vote, in which former social democrat PM Milos Zeman eventually defeated Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09).

Last autumn, Fischer gave up his post of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development vice-president in order to fully focus on the presidential campaign.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz