In his resignation letter, Rafaj thanked the president for his sustained support. “Throughout my eleven years as head of the office, I have tried not to disappoint this trust and I have performed my function impartially and independently, as required by law and the public from the chairman of a major central administrative office,” Rafaj wrote.
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The President thanked the resigning President of the Office for the Protection of Competition for the work done and wished him success in further work in other areas.
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Now! On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, the President of the Republic – Miloš Zeman – received the Chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition, Petr Rafaj, at the Lány chateau. pic.twitter.com/hFvMippp02
– Jiří Ovčáček (@PREZIDENTmluvci) October 7, 2020
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Rafaj’s dismissal from the head of state was demanded by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) together with the Minister of the Interior Jan Hamáček (ČSSD).
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This fulfilled the scenario that Právo had previously reported on, namely that Rafaj would end voluntarily. Rafaj’s term was due to expire in July next year.
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Rafaj’s successor could be Deputy Minister of the Interior Petr Mlsna.
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Critics of Rafaj’s leadership of the Antimonopoly Office recalled his role in the toll competition, when he was to prefer Kapsch. In addition, the chairman of the Office got into the police’s search engine last year for investigating corruption in the award of public contracts in Brno, when investigators accused Jiří Švachul (formerly ANO) of the former deputy mayor of the Brno-střed town hall.
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During a house search, the police confiscated Rafaj two million crowns, the origin of which he was unable to clarify. Rafaj later justified the origin of the money by saying that it came from savings and loans and was intended for his daughter’s wedding.
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