Former police head offered top job with Customs Administration

The former head of the special police squad for combatting organised crime, Robert Šlachta, has been offered a post as the deputy director of the Czech Customs Administration, the agency ČTK reported. He should take up the new position from September 1. Šlachta has been a key figure in the political row over the reorganisation of specialised police squads into one large unit, arguing that this was a means of neutering his widely respected police unit and braking investigations into key cases. He resigned from his post in June soon after the merger of special police units was announced. The merger sparked a battle within the government between the Social Democrats, and in particular Minister of Interior Milan Chovanec, and ANO leader Andrej Babiš. The Customs Administration is to be given stepped up power to tackle VAT and other criminal cases.

Author: Chris Johnstone