Final Word from Friday, July 26, 2002
Soon after the elections, Deputy Premier and future Justice Minister Pavel Rychetský said on BBC radio that the justice system is in "rather desperate condition." He told Právo a few days later that he'd rather not be the person to deal with this, but he took the justice job anyway and now says the ongoing judicial reform needs to continue. Jaroslav Bureš, the sacked minister, was a logical choice to continue in the job, but he reportedly fell afoul of President Václav Havel because of his criticism of a few judicial appointees. Bureš has agreed to stay on as Rychetský's deputy and as head of the legislative council, and there's apparently a plan in place to boost him up to minister once Havel leaves office. The continuity at the ministry has been put at risk - even if the risk is only slight - merely because Bureš irritated Havel with some of his comments.