Story of Dealer Slouf

One of the Social-Democratic dealers of the H-Systém company was Miroslav Šlouf, the chief of the Prime Minister's advisors. For promotion of the products of the company, which has gone bankrupt since then, Šlouf was being paid 8,000 Crowns per month in 1996. Gejza Rakaš, a police officer investigating this case, found out that Šlouf had concluded an employment contract with H-Systém. For recommending purchase houses and apartments, whose construction has never been completed and which H-Systém promised to its clients, Šlouf collected a total of 48,000 Crowns.

The Best on the Market

The fact that H-Systém, a company in which more than a thousand people sank all their life's savings, was paying salaries to approximately ten people from ČSSD in 1996, was pointed out by the daily newspaper MF Dnes at the end of the year 2000 with reference to the case of Václav Erben, a Social Democrat, who confessed to receipt of remuneration from H-Systém. At that time, the party did not have the money to pay salaries to several of its employees. This problem was solved by the party as follows: the people concerned concluded a contract with H-Systém, became its agents and were receiving regular income.

In December 2000, the matter got as far as into the House of Deputies of the Parliament, which, by the votes of the MPs for Social Democratic Party and ODS, refused a proposal for resolution that the police should again investigate the case of H-Systém „in full scope“, that is, including the political contacts of the company.

At that time, the Prime Minister Miloš Zeman rejected any link between his party and the bankrupt building company. „Requesting the Prime Minister to make a statement on an unfortunate person, who was being paid several thousands per month as a dealer of H-Systém five years ago, is disparagement of the topics, which the House of Deputies should deal with,“ said Zeman to sweep the appeal of the right-wing MPs addressed to him to take a stance on this case under the carpet.

Today, it has become apparent that the Prime Minister was also defending the reputation of the chief of his advisors. The resolution of the police officer, by which the report on the commission of a crime filed by Ladislav Michale, one of the clients of H-Systém, against Miroslav Šlouf, was rejected, speaks clearly: „It follows from the testimony of Miroslav Šlouf that he concluded a contract with H-Systém for the year 1996, which company was prospering in his opinion at that time. This contract provided that he would promote the company and would receive the amount of 8,000.- per month for this promotion. From the obtained salary sheets, it was established that Miroslav Šlouf received the amount 8,000 Crowns for the months January, February, August, September, November and December in 1996.“

„I have never denied that I was recommending the product of H-Systém in my surroundings for a certain period,“ says Šlouf himself in his statement for the Radio Free Europe. „In the middle of the nineties of the last century, the housing offer of H-Systém was the best one on the market. In my case, it was a completely marginal matter and this is why I am now unable to confirm positively whether it was in 1996; I would have to take a look in my tax returns.“ Šlouf adds that he was not acquiring any specific clients for H-Systém.

If It Were Only H-Systém

There is no evidence that Social Democrats tried to influence investigation of the bankruptcy of H-Systém. However, Šlouf's employment proves that they had a good reason to do so. „As a minimum, the Prime Minister should have announced the case when the investigation was started. The fact that his advisor is involved in this matter raises serious doubts,“ points out Cyril Svoboda, the chairman of KDU-ČSL. Social Democrats do not treat the new information about Šlouf's part-time job with H-Systém as a tragedy. For example, Zdeněk Koudelka, an MP, points out that Šlouf does not hold any elected office in the politics: „It is common that people active in political offices, which are not elected offices, were performing or perform business activities.“ In 1996, Šlouf, being the author of the election campaign and the chief of the bus „Zemák“, held an important position in the party. However, he only ran for an elected office two years ago as a candidate to the Senate with no success. Karel Šplíchal (ČSSD), an MP, also did not hurry up with condemnation because, as he said, he did not have enough information on this matter. The right-wing MPs, who initiated discussion about H-Systém in the House of Deputies at the end of the year 2000, do not prepare any activities concerning Miroslav Šlouf.

Pavel Mertlík, an ex-vice-chairman of the Social Democratic Party and an ex-Minister of Finance, who requested that the party should have taken a clear stance on the case in the past, is also indifferent about the case. Today, he does not remember his high-principled stance anymore: „I think that Mr. Šlouf as such is a problem for the Social Democratic Party, not only this case. It is not the only case in his rich career,“ he remarks. Thus, apparently only the robbed clients of H-Systém, who unknowingly contributed to the salaries of Miroslav Šlouf and another nine members of the Social Democratic Party, are now interested in the case. „Of course, I expect that the Social Democratic Party will return the money, which was paid from H-Systém to its members, to the bankrupt's assets. This goes absolutely without saying,“ says Alena Vaněčková on behalf of the robbed clients. At present, the Social Democratic Party does not intend to do anything like this.

The author works in the Czech Radio 6 / Radio Free Europe.