ANO MP Milan Hnilicka resigns after attending party

Milan Hnilička has announced that he is giving up his seat as a deputy for the ANO party in the Czech lower house. After evidence emerged, he had attended a celebration at a hotel that contravened Covid-19 restrictions. ANO party chief, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, had called on him to accept his action’s consequences.

He said that the decision to remain in the head of the agency’s position would be made according to how the sports environment will react to the current situation. He added that he felt generous support. The daily Blesk informed today that Hnilička took part in the celebration in Teplice on Saturday. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš called the participants’ behavior during the government’s measures against the covid-19 epidemic unacceptable and added that Hnilička should conclude from this. The heads of ČUS, football, and hockey, as well as stars Jaromír Jágr and Barbora Špotáková supported the stay of Milan Hnilička at the head of the NSA, despite his participation in the celebration.

Hnilička stated that he was fully aware of his responsibility as a member of the governing coalition. “That’s why, after the unnecessary mistake I made, I decided to resign from my parliamentary mandate. As for the head of the sports agency’s position, I will wait to see how the sports environment approaches the whole thing. But for now, I feel great support,” he said. He previously said that he had sent 50,000 crowns to collecting the People in Need organization for people in a difficult situation.

Black wrote that a celebration of the 50th birthday of the Teplice businessman and former influential CSSD politician Petr Benda took place on Saturday evening at the Prince de Ligne Hotel. In addition to Hnilička, Jiří Šlégr, vice-chairman of the Czech Television Council, Jiří Paroubek, former prime minister, and dozens of other guests took part. Former hockey goalkeeper Hnilička stated in the morning that he was wrong. “I didn’t drink. I drove home after dinner and a few business meetings. But I realize I made a big and stupid mistake, for which I apologize a lot, and I’m ready to bear the consequences,” he said.

After today’s government meeting, Labor Minister Jana Maláčová (ČSSD) said that she would support the removal of Hnilička from the position of head of a sports agency if Babiš nominated him. Minister of Health Jan Blatný said that he must insist on compliance with the measures. “I would have to make sure that everything applies equally to everyone,” he said of a possible vote. Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček thinks that Hnilička realized the mistake. “Anyone can make a mistake. The important thing is that they react immediately,” he said. The Minister of the Environment Richard Brabec considers Hniliček’s behavior an incomprehensible flight, but he did not want to speculate about other events.

The organizer and the event participants violated several valid measures against the spread of coronavirus. They risk a fine. The police are investigating the case, and if it finds a violation of the regulation, it will refer the matter to the administrative authorities for resolution. In the Czech Republic, the interiors of restaurants must now be closed. In public places, drapes and spacings are mandatory, a maximum of two people can meet at indoor and outdoor events, and the ban on the night going out applies from 21:00, with a few exceptions.

In October, a similar case was replaced by the Minister of Health Roman Prymula, whom Blesk photographed when leaving the meeting with the head of ANO deputies Jaroslav Faltýnek closed restaurant in Vyšehrad. Due to the case, Faltýnek left the post of the first vice-president ANO, but he retained the parliamentary function. The media also pointed to several preferential vaccination cases of known people without belonging to the priority group of vaccinations. These included Zdeněk Kabátek, director of the General Health Insurance Company. Alena Šteflová, Deputy Minister of Health; and Zdeněk Pohlreich, a restaurateur.