The situation at the Prague Exhibition Grounds should be dealt with by the city council

Vyhnánek resigned from his position as chairman of the supervisory board after the councilors did not heed his appeal to meet and address the situation in the company. In an open letter to the councilors, he stated that he could not serve on the company's governing body when representatives of the capital city, as the sole shareholder, show no elementary interest in its state.

According to Vyhnánek, the supervisory board found deficiencies in the company's operations that cannot be ignored. As he writes in the letter, they are related to "the irresistible urge of several managers to funnel public contracts to their friends and affiliated companies."

"It primarily concerned the Praguecon event, of which the supervisory board was not sufficiently informed about the details, and which deserves the council's discussion considering its scope and potential risks for the capital city," Vyhnánek added at today's meeting of the legislative committee, stating that he does not want to go into details that should be heard only by the councilors. The Praguecon event is scheduled to take place at Výstaviště on September 28 and 29 of this year.

He also indicated that there is a problem with the contract register within the company. "It turned out that the exhibition grounds, citing trade secrets, black out all pricing agreements," he stated. According to him, this is in violation of the law, as most of the information does not relate to trade secrets.

Vyhnánek's words were confirmed by Vladislava Veselá (ANO), who is also a member of the supervisory board of Výstaviště Praha. The chairwoman of the council's control committee, Jaroslava Janderová (ODS), stated that suggestions have also reached the control committee, which will address them as well.

"I think that the situation in the joint-stock company Výstaviště is not sustainable," said its member and opposition councilor Václav Novotný (TOP 09) at the meeting of the cultural committee. According to him, the exhibition grounds are being managed externally. The problem is the alleged non-disclosure of public contracts and the conclusion of disadvantageous contracts. "It is poorly staffed, there are disputes about how it operates economically, and there is undoubtedly some difficulty in the contractual agenda. And that is fundamental," he added.

The situation surrounding the exhibition grounds, which are protected as a monument, has been addressed by Prague for several years. Some time ago, the city freed itself from a long-term lease agreement with the company Incheba, which, according to some opinions, was disadvantageous. However, this company will still hold some events at the exhibition grounds until this year. Since the beginning of 2015, the management has been under the city-owned company Výstaviště Praha.

The area near Stromovka was created in 1891 on the occasion of the Jubilee Land Exhibition. It was damaged by a flood in 2002 and six years later, by a fire at the Industrial Palace.