Karel Janicek
Member of Czech Parliament Adam Vojtech poses in Parliament building in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. Czech Health Minister Petr Arenberger will resign and he will be replaced with former minister Adam Vojtech who stepped down last year, Prime Minister Andrej Babis has told journalists on Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (Vit Simanek/CTK via AP) SLOVAKIA OUT May 25, 2021 - 2:26 AM
PRAGUE (AP) â The Czech Republic on Tuesday lost its fourth health minister since the coronavirus pandemic struck last year.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that the current office-holder Petr Arenberger called him in Brussels, where Babis is attending a summit of European Union leaders to announce his resignation.
Health Minister Petr Arenberger has resigned from office in response to mounting pressure over irregularities in his tax returns. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš broke the news in Brussels where he is attending an EU summit.
In recent days Czech media have reported that Arenberger had declared significantly more assets and a higher income after joining the government than in previous years.
The health minister, who has rejected accusations of tax evasion, said his only fault had been a number of inaccuracies in his tax returns, which he had explained. He said he was resigning because of the brutal media pressure against him and his family.
Czech Republic s Health Minister Petr Arenberger Quits After Just Six Weeks
On 5/25/21 at 9:21 AM EDT
Czech Republic Health Minister Petr Arenberger stepped down after just six weeks in office.
A director of University Hospital Vinohrady in Prague, Arenberger was sworn in on April 7 and became the country s fourth health minister since the start of the pandemic last year.
He had been under scrutiny over alleged tax irregularities and reports that he was renting one of his undeclared properties to the university hospital. The pressure put on him and his family was the main reason for the resignation, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said, as reported by the Associated Press.