Bohata affair
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
The Bohata affair was a corruption scandal in Holynia, beginning in at least 2011. The scandal saw state contracts awarded to companies with ties to the then Ratkovec government. This was primarily conducted through rigged bidding proccesses and unfair criterea. Leaked phone call recordings named key figures in the Ratkovec government. In late 2015, Prime Minister Ratkovec resigned and early elections were held.
History
In September 2013, representatives of Malík Komárek protested the decision with the Minister of Defence. In November 2013, Malík Komárek hired Kulhavý and Dušek s.r.o, a Bystrica law firm, to investigate the tank deal. The Cizekporok Post, a political newspaper, began its own investigation in January 2014 after a tip off from a Budča Bednář engineer.
In March 2014, a complaint was filed with the Ombudsman of the Narodna Rada alleging that the tank deal between Budča Bednář and the Ministry of Defence had been rigged in favor of Budča Bednář. In addition, Budča Bednář reportedly promised payments to government officials involved in the scheme if the contract was awarded.
On 11 June 2014, Malík Komárek and Kulhavý and Dušek s.r.o publicly unveiled the preliminary results of their private investigation. Senior unnamed Budča Bednář, Defence Ministry, and General Staff officials had colluded to rig the the tank deal in favor of Budča Bednář. Highlighted quality control concerns at Budča Bednář, along with long lead times for delivery were allegedly overlooked during the bidding process. Two days later, the Cizekporok Post published its report on the growing scandal.
On 14 June 2014, government spokeswoman Kateřina Kinclová denied that any collusion had taken place and that the tender process was "fair and correct". Despite this, on 15 June, Deputy Defence Minister Marek Staněk, resigned with immediate effect. On 17 June, the Narodna Rada convened in the middle of its summer recess to discuss the matter. The government continued to deny any wrongdoing. Prime Minister Ratkovic denied wrongdoing by the Defence Minister and attempted to place blame on Deputy Defence Minister Staněk. On 20 June, a leaked recording of a phone call between Defence Minister Tomáš Daniel and Budča Bednář Chief Engineer Radek Bohata was released by the Cizekporok Times. In the recording, both parties agreed to "monetary disbursements" in the summer of 2014 following the first payment by the government to the manufacturer. A leaked email was revealed on the 22nd of June showing a job offer by Budča Bednář to Deputy Defence Minister Marek Staněk.
A motion of no confidence was made on July 1, accussing the Prime Minister of misleading the Rada. The vote failed as the ruling party, Renewal, maintained unity and wished for a formal inquiry into the matter. On 6 July,