“The Prime Minister is wearing a compro (…) of Esteban pieces,” he said in an interview for Seznam Zpravy head of the Czech BIS counterintelligence Michal Koudelka. And at the same time, he acknowledged that his service had an idea where the rumors were coming from and that he was launching an investigation. In that context, he reminded that his service inspector could also investigate former BIS members. He didn’t reveal who he meant.

At the same time, Koudelka has long been criticized especially by President Miloš Zeman. For example, in the past he declared BIS employees “scouts” and a year and a half ago he submitted to Prime Minister Andrej Babi a document that was supposed to explain why Zeman did not want to promote the head of the BIS to the rank of general. At that time, the president publicly spoke about the fact that the material was prepared by former BIS chief analyst Jiří Rom, who switched from the secret service to work at the Castle.

Therefore, the representatives of the security community found it clear that Koudelka’s words were currently directed at Roma. Initially, he himself did not want to comment on the interview. “I have no information to share with the press or the public,” he wrote to the editor. Finally, he added a few words. “I don’t think there’s anything good about gossip. I think it’s bullshit about pointing a fake finger. And a small detail: someone here doesn’t even know the law,” he said without elaborating.

Even the castle spokesman Jiří Ovčáček didn’t share much more. He did not answer the question of whether the Palace sent any important material to Prime Minister Fial, or whether the president or his colleagues discussed this topic privately with the prime minister. “I will not respond,” wrote Seznam Zprávám Ovčáček.

It was impossible to know more even at Straka Academy, where, according to Koudelka, the compromise material should have gone. “The prime minister will not comment on this matter,” replied government spokesman Václav Smolka. To additional questions about how the Prime Minister approached the matter, a spokesperson for Smolka simply replied: “He doesn’t handle it.”

The head of Czech counterintelligence, Michal Koudelka, stated in an interview that the slander directed at Prime Minister Petar Fial could be linked to Russia’s preparations for war in Ukraine. “The bottom line is that Russia could be preparing for operations in Ukraine and their efforts could destroy not only the cohesion and unity of Western countries and Western communities, but also the unity and cohesion of their intelligence services,” Koudelka said, adding that for that reason by thus BIS will handle “everything related to it”.