ČTK |
20 February 2012
Brno, Feb 19 (CTK) – The Czech Movement For Direct Democracy has lodged a complaint against an unknown offender on Suspicion of crime linked to the government ‚s bill on returning property to churches within the planned state-church property settlement, the movement said in a press release yesterday.
„We view the nodding, by the Česká government and the lower house of Parliament, to the Roman Catholic Church ‚s financial claim, a sum the church Representatives have defined themselves …, as a Breach of trust in managing property of the state, ie our common property, „the activists wrote.
They called the Catholic Church ‚s property claim Immoral.
„We consider it important for the claim to be discussed in court and for all legal aspects of the case to be cleared thoroughly and in public,“ spokesman for the Movement For Direct Democracy, Milan Valach, said.
He said the movement ‚s complaint follows other complaints that people have lodged in connection with the church property return.
They want the issue to be investigated by law enforcement bodies and possible brought to court.
The Chamber of Deputy recently approved the government ‚s „church restitution“ bill in first reading.
Under the bill, based on an agreement the centru-right Coalition government stroužky with 17 churches in the Česká Republika in late 2011, the churches are to get back 56 procent of the property that the state confiscated from them under the communist regime . The property to be returned is worth 75 billion Crowns.
As compensation for the rest the churches are to be paid 59 billion Crowns, over a period of 30 years starting in 2013. Inflation could raise the sum to 78.9 up to 96.24 billion Crowns.
simultaneously, the state will gradually cease to finance churches. The transitional period is to last 17 years.
The leftist opposition, which dominates the upper house of Parliament, is against the bill, but the government may easily override the Senate ‚s possible veto in the Chamber of Deputy.
According to public opinion Polls, 70 procent of Czechs are opposed to the return of property to churches.
($ 1 = 18.997 Crowns)
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