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On the same date as last year, the Anticorruption Endowment (NFPK) awarded its annual Prizes for Courage for the eighth consecutive year. They are designed for citizens who do not shy away from blowing the whistle on corruption regardless of usually unpleasant private consequences. This year the prizes go to Jana Moravcová, Lukáš Blažej and the civic association, Permanent. The NFPK distributed sums to the awardees, amounting to (12 x 21)2 CZK, 12 x 21 x 121 CZK and 12 x 21 x 73 CZK, or CZK 63,504, 30,492 Kč and 18,396 respectively.
Jana Moravcová is an energetic lady. It showed during her studies, when she selected environmental protection as her field. While still a student, she accepted an offer to become a regional environmental inspector at ČIŽP. She rose through the ranks to the position of head of the environment watchdog organization. But she encountered certain clientelist links that marked certain environmental cases. Undaunted, she promoted environmental interests although she knew that the investor would determinedly pursue his goals and not shy away from even the dirtiest practices. Chief among the cases that Jana Moravcová was involved in, hands on, was the problematic launching of a distillery in Trmice near Ústí nad Labem. This instance and some other cases, when the regional environmental inspectorate under her aegis acted against environmentally unacceptable projects in localities, protected because of their unique natural qualities, probably led to her dismissal.
Lukáš Blažej has manifested a keen interest in the local developments from his childhood. In the past four years he has not missed a single meeting of the city fathers of Ústí nad Labem, his hometown. In 2015 he started rubbing certain politicos and officials the wrong way: Lukáš Blažej noticed that 451,000 CZK had been handed out as bonuses to the heads of the city departments. Suspecting royalties for political allegiance, he wanted to know who got what, and how much of it. The city council declined to provide such information. Lukáš Blažej appealed against the decision, the court of appeals declared it null and void, the council repeatedly blocked the information, the appeals court again voided the ruling, and so on and so fourth, seventeen times to this date. Lukáš Blažej eventually sued, but no decision has been taken as yet, regarding his complaint.
The Permanent civic association has long defended citizens of Nymburk against the effects of a zinc plant, owned by the firm AZOS, later renamed as APP s.r.o. The activists initially protested against a strong odour and harmful combustion products in the air. Upon finding that the plant’s operation was never legally approved, they are exploring various legal ways to stop the production. They have scored quite some success in what they are attempting to achieve.
“It’s great to know that we have found for the eighth time in row a couple of bold, exceptional personalities, who have the nerve to run the risk and fight against corruption and clientelism. This year’s awardees have helped to improve the lives of many people in Nymburk and Ústí nad Labem. I hope that today’s Prizes for Courage will energize and inspire other people to follow suit. It shows again, how important it is to fight corruption and clientelism. The courage shown by the awardees has met its purpose and success often sweetens a thorny, frustrating journey. Thanks to this year’s awardees, people will again realize the bad and harmful nature of corruption—the cancer of society. I am very happy to see that the Anticorruption Endowment has become a supporting pillar and firm component of the civic society that promotes valuable standards of behaviour and sound thought,” says Karel Janeček, cofounder of the Anticorruption Endowment, about this year’s awards.
The Anticorruption Endowment is a fully independent project, pursued by people radically unprepared to tolerate rampant corruption in the administration of this state. One of our goals is to help expose corruption in state administration and support projects exposing corrupt conduct.
The NFPK has awarded its annual Prizes for Courage ever since its inception in 2011. Civil rights champion Jakub Čech and Senator Lukáš Wagenknecht are among the past awardees. Read more about the awardees on http://www.nfpk.cz/en/whistleblowers.
Contacts: Karel Škácha, NFPK Director, Phone: 602 681 513, e-mail: karel.skacha@nfpk.cz
