Brno - Pink Panther strikes again. The Czech anti-corruption non-governmental organization, taking its name after the successful film series with Peter Sellers, plans to file the complaint against the alleged violation of the freedom of speech by the Czech Republic at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Pink Panther decided to address the European Court after the Czech Constitutional Court struck down its complaint about restricted freedom of speech earlier this month.
The whole story began several years ago and is related to one of the biggest scandals from the 1990s in the Czech Republic, which came to be known as the Light Furnace Oils affair, or simply LTO affair (a Czech acronym for the fuel).
Implicating the future minister
The Czech Republic lost tens of billions of Czech crowns in the tax fraud scheme, which had regular engine oil smuggled into the country on a massive scale, passing off for the light furnace oil, which wasn´t a subject to the tax.
Ivan Langer, the Ministers of Interior in the current government of the Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek plays one of the most important roles in the story - he was the one who Pink Panther accused of being connected to the mafia several years ago in connection with the fraud.
In its statement Pink Panther made connection between Ivan Langer, businessman Tomáš Paclík and Vratislav Kutal, one of the people directly involved in the fraud.
Mr. Kutal was sentenced to ten years in prison for organizing an attempted murder of a journalist and for ordering a bomb attack in front of the court in Olomouc.
Tomáš Paclík sued the organization for making the connection between him, Langer and Kutal. He suceeded and was paid 100 thousand Czech crowns in compensation.
A question of principle
Pink Panther then turned to the Czech constitutional court. The main issue was not Ivan Langer's possible involvement but the principle of having the right to publish information about suspicious actions guaranteed by the freedom of speech.
The constitutional judges however agreed with Paclík's arguments from previous trials. "Publishing untrue or misguiding facts cannot be included in people's right to be informed or in the freedom of speech," the senate of the highest court announced earlier.
However, Pink Panther maintains that its case represents a violation of the freedom of speech.
"The organization decided to approach the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg with its complaint about the Czech Republic.
Pink Panther does not want anything else than to be consistent and demand respect for the freedom of speech. This is the first dispute of its kind involving the Czech Republic and the the European Court," said Iveta Jordanová, the head of Pink Panther organization.
