Lidovky.cz: Czech PM's friend wants five million crowns from state

Prague, Nov 20 (CTK) - The agency headed by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's close friend Marek Dalik is suing the Czech state demanding five million crowns in compensation for a damage the police allegedly caused to it, the Lidovky.cz server wrote on Thursday.

Dalik says the police harmed the business activities of his New Deal Communications company when they accused him in 2004 of bribing Freedom Union deputy Zdenek Koristka, the server writes.

Dalik's firm has taken the case to court. It wants two ministries - the Interior Ministry and the Justice Ministry - to pay it financial compensation.

"It is a complaint about the damage caused by the state through an unlawful administrative approach and an unlawful decision on the opening of criminal proceedings," Prague City Court spokesman Petr Kulawiak told Lidove noviny.

According to the Aktualne.cz server, Dalik is also embarrassed about the information about his prosecution having leaked to the media.

Former deputy Koristka accused Dalik of offering him 10 million crowns and the post of ambassador to Bulgaria as a bribe in exchange for not supporting the then coalition government of Stanislav Gross (Social Democrats, CSSD) in the crucial confidence vote in summer 2004.

Dalik acted on behalf of the then opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and its chairman and current Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.

The courts that dealt with the case dismissed Koristka's allegation as they failed to find any proof supporting it.

($=20.359 Czech crowns)