By a first-instance decision of February 2, 2021, the Office for the Protection of Competition imposed a fine of CZK 550 million on the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic for violating the Public Procurement Act in the criticized purchase of American Venom and Viper helicopters.
At the last week’s extraordinary meeting the Government approved the transfer of 5 billion crowns from the budget reserve to the budget of the Ministry of Defense. Another 5 billion crowns, which the Ministry of Defense is still to receive, is to be transferred to its budget „maybe“ in February, said Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
The state budget for next year can be approved, because the Government parties ANO and ČSSD finally accepted the communist request to take 10 billion crowns from the budget chapter of the Ministry of Defense, and allocate it to the reserve to „fight the coronavirus pandemic.“
In recent days, several members of the House Defense Committee gave their opinion on the acquisition of self-propelled 155mm CAESAR howitzers from the French company NEXTER, which the Czech Republic wants to acquire for the 13th Artillery Regiment through a government-government purchase. The most important questions concern the …