Odmítl prodat svůj mandát, odmítl trafiky a zachoval si čisté svědomí

A bribe certainly need not be given in the run-of-the-mill, cash-in-envelope shady way. An offer of a cushy job and miscellaneous perks may also be a way to bribe somebody. Police have started investigations of suspected corruption in a case that occurred in Most.

At the end of spring of 2015, the atmosphere in the parties in the Most city hall started to be really tense: In September, the ruling coalition of ANO, KSČM and the a hnutí Severočeši Most movement had collapsed. Unofficial meetings and secret negotiations had taken place, but the prospects were muddy. ANO, KSČM and opposition parties in the Mostečané Mostu Alliance applied a tad aggressive approach to ensuring a new majority in the city council. They attempted to ensure a majority with the help of defectors to be recruited from the rival parties. Now, this may not necessarily have been against the law, if the attempts to persuade people to leave their parties had not been plagued by offers of cushy jobs, exciting appointments, or even new housing. But one of the people approached in this way was Jiří Šváb (Severočeši Most), who said no, although his circumstances were dire at the time.

Having been asked for an appointment, Jiří Šváb consulted his further steps with his party’s leader and, after a thorough analysis of the situation, volunteered to make a sound recording of the meeting offered him. On 18 September, Jiří Šváb actually met with Jan Syrový (Mostečané Mostu), Jan Schiller (ANO) and Adolf Sigmund (KSČM). The contents of the secret encounter could be deciphered with utmost precision thanks to the recording he made on that occasion. Jiří Šváb was told the following: “We have a job for you, we offer an apartment to you, what you do now – you would get [a job in] the technical services supervisory board, the transport company and anything you might ask for. You’ll see this is no hoax, no frame. With a flat, job and good appointments for good money.” Many would fall for such an offer, but not Jiří Šváb, who would not break up, and he submitted his tapes to Mr. Zelenka (Hnutí Severočeši Most), who duly forwarded them to the police and the media.

Adolf Sigmund (KSČM) somewhat illogically explained he had a firm which had no customers and contracts. Nor did Jan Syrový (Mostečané Mostu) displayed a heroic aplomb when refusing to comment on the affair and ultimately fended off questions about possible corruption by saying: “This too might be a question, please, excuse me.” Adopting a no less cowardly strategy, Jan Schiller (ANO) claimed he had actually wanted to help Jiří Šváb: “It was clearly to simply help somebody who feared he would simply be persecuted for withdrawing from something he disagrees with.”^[1] It would seem that Mr. Schiller was telling a different story about a completely different situation.

In the end, it was Jiří Šváb, who helped in no small way to thwarting a suspicious plan for political takeover in Most, based on defectors. Every local councillor should be aware of his/her obligations, associated with the discharge of their duties, and acknowledge the inadmissibility of trading mandates for, say, an apartment or other goodies. But a part of our society still accepts past prejudices and vestiges and tends to call Mr. Šváb a stoolie. No way, we say: any self-respecting intelligent person in his right will admit that Mr. Jiří Šváb deserves respect, for he is a hero. Only then can we hope to start changing this society for the better.

^{[1] http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/10117034229-168-hodin/216452801100417/titulky}