Final Word from Monday, November 14, 2011
PM Petr Nečas told Právo that the public-procurement billapproved by Parliament is a very positive step in the fightagainst corruption. Not everyone is happy with it though, andKarel Janeček's Endowment Fund against Corruption hopes toamend it in the Senate with the help of ČSSD. Janeček called onFri. for the resignation of Development Min. Kamil Jankovskýfor serving as a "tool of the corrupters" in drafting the "leakylaw." There are signs that Miroslav Kalousek's TOP 09 will joinwith ČSSD in the Senate to return the bill to the lower house,with the objective of adding Janeček's provision that biddersfor public contracts disclose their beneficial owners and thebeneficial owners of all subcontractors with at least Kč 250,000of the contract in question. This could lead to a dispute of epicproportions within the coalition, with the very realistic possibilitythat the law becomes impassable. Killing the public-procurementlaw by hook or by crook might not be Janeček's goal,but there is every reason to believe that it is indeed Kalousek's.
Glossary of difficult words
procurement - the action of obtaining or purchasing something;
"tool of the corrupters" - we used our own translation of the Endowment Fund's document;
leaky - full of holes;
impassable - not capable of being passed;
by hook or by crook - by one means or the other.