Staněk: The reasons for Fajtl's dismissal arose from three years of inspections

Prague - The outgoing Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (CSSD) stated that the reasons for the dismissal of the director of the National Gallery in Prague (NGP) Jiří Fajt arose from audits initiated as early as 2016. He wrote this in a response to a letter from the legal representative of the dismissed director, which Staněk received last week, in which Fajt requests an apology. Staněk had previously announced that he would resign from the government by the end of May due to the case. This afternoon he will meet with President Miloš Zeman, after which he will be visited by the chairman of the Communist Party, Vojtěch Filip.

Whether Zeman will accept Staněk's resignation is still unclear. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) stated that if he did not want to accept Staněk's resignation, he was ready to propose the minister's dismissal. Filip is going to Zeman with a plea for Staněk, believing, among other things, that if Staněk leaves, the dispute over the Český Krumlov theater revolving stage would continue. Staněk recently decided to keep the revolving stage in the castle garden. Filip is a member of parliament for South Bohemia.

The president of the Czech National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Václav Girsa told ČTK today that the ministry's stance is in conflict with the Czech Republic's commitment to relocate the unsuitable object of the revolving stage from the unique garden. "There is a solution to build a new rotating auditorium with the necessary facilities outside the castle garden, but in its immediate vicinity. The current theater auditorium is at the end of its lifespan; repairing or constructing a new one at the same location would end theater productions in Český Krumlov for several years, which is absurd and arrogant," he stated. Many ministers before Staněk were in favor of placing the stage outside the garden.

Staněk dismissed Fajt along with the director of the Olomouc Museum of Art, Michal Soukup, in mid-April, citing significant errors in the economic activities of both institutions. Regarding Fajt, he particularly criticized a contractual agreement for over a million crowns that the then-director paid himself for curatorial work on exhibitions and displays.

According to Fajt's lawyer, František Vyskočil, the reasons for the dismissal are either based on untruths or "distort the true factual basis and draw illegal value judgments from it." "The consequence of such conduct is a gross violation of the client's (Fajt's) honor, discrediting his name and professional reputation," Vyskočil stated. He also criticizes the minister for not giving Fajt the opportunity to respond to the alleged shortcomings. According to Vyskočil, Staněk jeopardized Fajt's position in both the Czech Republic and abroad, where Fajt also operates.

No later than within seven days, in a letter published on May 21, he demanded the publication of an apology on the Ministry of Culture's website. If this does not happen, Vyskočil is authorized to proceed legally.

Today, Staněk wrote that he dismissed Fajt after careful consideration and consultation with his advisors. He reiterated that a minister must act if serious facts arise suggesting that "there could be violations of the law or other unlawful conduct." The situation at the National Gallery in Prague fully met these criteria, he stated. He added that the concern about the violation of laws and other regulations at the NGP was also shared by Transparency International.