The audit of last year's Expa revealed a large loss and double the costs

Prague - The current results of the audit of the Czech participation in the 2025 World Expo in Japan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have revealed a significant loss and costs that are nearly double the approved budget. Adam Čörgő, a spokesperson for the ministry, told Deník N. The dismissed head of the Czech participation, Ondřej Soška, reportedly secured only a fifth of the promised approximately 200 million crowns.

"A comprehensive audit is currently underway, which already indicates a significant loss and costs that are nearly double the approved budget. Of the originally projected 170 to 220 million crowns, only about 40 million has been secured by the start of the Expo," said the spokesperson of the Czernin Palace.

The construction of the pavilion and the Czech representation were supposed to cost a total of 500 million crowns. Of that, about 200 million was to come from private sources. However, Soška's promised revenues from renting the Czech pavilion turned out to be largely illusory, said Jitka Pánek Jurková, who leads Czech Centres, under which the Office of the General Commissioner for the Expo falls. A deep forensic audit, which is still ongoing, was commissioned at the end of last year based on findings from a previous process audit. The government dismissed Soška at the end of March.

"I am not the right person to determine who will bear the responsibility for the fact that the promises of the General Commissioner, made within the framework of the concept he presented to the government, were not fulfilled," added the head of the Czech Centres. Spokesperson Čörgő wrote that it is "premature to draw conclusions about responsibility without precise data."

Two weeks ago, Soška told ČTK that the planned half-billion budget was not exceeded. He agrees with the audit's execution. He considers his dismissal the day before the expiration of his mandate to be a political game and an attempt to discredit the successful Czech participation in Expo 2025.

Soška anticipated in his reports that debts from the Expo would be reduced by selling the unique Czech pavilion. The leadership of Czech Centres, together with representatives of the ministry, is now negotiating with several interested parties about the Czech pavilion and is evaluating the most economical option for the Czech state, with clarity expected by the end of April. According to information from Deník N, potential buyers are from both the Czech Republic and Japan.

Expo 2025 took place from April 13 to October 13 on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka. The Czech national pavilion was built by the Japanese company Daisue. During the duration of the exhibition, over one and a half million people visited it. The design of the pavilion, shaped like a glass spiral, emerged from an open architectural competition won by Apropos Architects in March 2023. The building received an award from a professional jury for outstanding architectural achievement last October.