PRAGUE--An aide of a former Czech prime minister has been
arrested on charges of alleged corruption involving a 2007 deal to
buy armored personnel carriers by the country's army, local
business newspaper Hospodarske Noviny reported Tuesday.
The arrest further stokes the long-running scandal and weakens
the conservative coalition cabinet ahead of regional and senatorial
elections, the newspaper said.
Marek Dalik, the aide of Mirek Topolanek, the former prime
minister in the previous conservative cabinet, was arrested late
Sunday and charged with an attempt in 2007 to receive an 18 million
euro ($23.5 million) kickback in exchange for the Czech
government's decision to buy 199 Pandur armored vehicles from
Steyr, an Austrian unit of General Dynamics Corp. (GD), a U.S.
defense system maker, the newspaper reported.
Mr. Dalik had no official position in the government and the
deal was canceled in late 2007 but subsequently revived and
concluded at reduced levels by the following cabinet. The Czech
army eventually purchased 107 armored vehicles for EUR14.4 billion,
the newspaper said.
Neither Mr. Dalik nor Mr. Topolanek were available for comment.
Police officials confirmed the arrest of Mr. Dalik.
The arrest of Mr. Dalik and ongoing investigation of the armored
vehicle deal comes just three days ahead of elections in regional
governments and the Senate, Czech parliament's upper house.
The ruling conservative Civic Democratic Party, or ODS, now
headed by Prime Minister Petr Necas, Mr. Topolanek's successor, is
trailing the opposition center-left Social Democrats ahead of the
polls, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, as voters tire of
government austerity measures and brewing corruption scandals.
Write to Leos Rousek at leos.rousek@dowjones.com
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