Czech morning news roundup: Monday, November 1, 2021

The Czech government will lodge a criminal complaint against suspected fraudulent behavior relating to the bankruptcy of the Bohemia Energy group, outgoing Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) announced on Sunday. The complaint will be officially signed on behalf of the government by Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček.

Babiš said the criminal complaint will have to be tabled as a proposal to the new Chamber of Deputies as the outgoing cabinet did not have time to push through the action. Bohemia Energy’s bankruptcy in mid-October has affected around 900,000 former clients, whose energy is being temporarily provided by replacement companies until a new standard supplier is secured.

Bohemia Energy said it was forced to close due to the persistent rise in energy prices on wholesale markets. Babiš called the group’s behavior unbelievable and claimed Bohemia Energy betrayed its clients. He also said the government recommends that former Bohemia Energy customers secure a new permanent supplier as soon as possible.

The man who carried out a fatal shooting in Prague’s Strašnice area on Sunday committed suicide after the incident, according to police. The shooting left one other person dead, while two others escaped uninjured and are being treated by emergency services.

Police say the shooter barricaded himself in a room inside the house after the incident, and when a police unit entered the room, the man was found dead. Police say the probable motive for the attack which took place yesterday afternoon was a neighborhood dispute.

Škoda Auto is resuming operations at most of its production facilities after a shutdown due to a lack of vital chips for in-car electronic systems. However, the leader of the carmaker’s trade unions said most night shifts will not return yet.

The resumption of production started at 22:00 on Sunday evening. During Škoda’s enforced shutdown, the only continued operations were at production lines for the completion of already-assembled vehicles. Employees who could not work received 80 percent of their average salary. Although most operations are now resuming thanks to the use of chips from Malaysia, it is being emphasized that a return to full operation capacity cannot be expected yet.

Facebook blocked the official profile of the city of Trutnov over alleged pornography, due to a page about the opening of an exhibition in the city’s gallery with works depicting silhouettes of naked bodies. The Facebook ban was announced by the city’s authorities on its official website.

The authorities described it as “incomprehensible” that Facebook would evaluate modern art from a world-famous creator as pornography. The offending exhibition, named Behind the Silence, opened on October 20. The authorities complain that communication with Facebook is complex, but that the website is one of the city’s most important communications channels so work is underway to get the account up and running again as soon as possible.

One of the Czech Republic’s largest sporting events is starting at the O2 Arena in Prague. The Billie Jean King Cup, a women’s only international tennis tournament, will see Czech star Babora Kejčíková lead a team of Czech representatives in the national team tournament. The tournament was originally planned to be held this year in Budapest, having been canceled last year due to coronavirus, but due to repeated postponements the Hungarian capital finally gave up the event and the Czech Tennis Association took over. In the initial group stage, the Czech Republic will play Germany and Switzerland.