ODS scandal in Prague: Dvořák, cut from the candidate list, plots his revenge

The pre-election drama surrounding the Prague regional branch of ODS is heating up: the party's executive council, led by Kupka, has struck Filip Dvořák from the candidate list for the Prague 1 local elections over unresolved questions surrounding his inheritance, worth roughly 230 million crowns.

In response, the local ODS branch in Prague 1 staged a full-blown revolt — deciding not to submit a new candidate list at all and allowing its members to run for other parties instead. The party leadership has no intention of backing down: drawing up the candidate list has now been handed to the party's higher regional body.

"The ODS executive council reached a clear decision and instructed the Prague 1 district organization to submit a candidate list for the district assembly election without Filip Dvořák. There was no room left for ODS to simply not field a list at all," said party chairman Kupka.

According to him, the local branch's actions are unacceptable: "This move is nothing but an attempt to circumvent a clear political decision by ODS's highest executive body and to place one person's personal ambitions above the party's interests and its electoral chances in Prague — which damages ODS's reputation." Kupka demanded that the regional council convene immediately and deliver the candidate list no later than August 3.

According to available information, Dvořák is considering activating a "Plan B" — launching his own political project through which he could fight to reclaim the mayor's seat in the upcoming elections. However, the ODS chairman ruled out the possibility that party members would back him on a rival list: "The moment there's an ODS list running, it's logically out of the question for these people to appear on a competing list. Candidacy for another, rival entity is incompatible with ODS membership," Kupka stressed, adding that the party's statutes provide for clear measures in the event of such a revolt.

The atmosphere surrounding Dvořák's removal remains tense. According to witnesses, at last week's party presidium meeting Dvořák pointedly placed his phone on the table and announced to those present that he would be recording the conversation. When this provoked a sharp reaction and a heated exchange, he unexpectedly explained that the recording was supposedly meant for fellow party member Denisa Řezníčková, who had recently given birth. Kupka declined to comment on the incident in detail but criticized Dvořák's conduct: "I think any normal, decent person would find such manners perfectly understandable."

Dvořák has come under pressure for failing to provide a convincing explanation for the origin of his wealth. Following his father's death, he inherited assets worth roughly 230 million crowns, including real estate in Prague and Špindlerův Mlýn, a collection of diamonds, and a yacht moored in Croatia. Dvořák himself accuses the party leadership of personal animosity and portrays himself as the victim of a "political execution."

This isn't the first time Dvořák's name has drawn attention. He is mentioned in the memoirs of convicted murderer Bohumír Ďuríčka, titled "Kočkoviny" — where Dvořák is described as a regular guest at a lavish sponsor's tent during the Břevnov Fair, where barbecues were held for the political elite of the time back in the 2000s, with the memoir's author claiming he was on first-name terms with Dvořák.

Questions have also been raised by an analysis of commercial register data: Dvořák's companies were for a long time registered at the same addresses as, or in close proximity to, buildings linked to the Kočka family (the company MIRAGE on Bubenské Embankment), as well as to the NAVATYP holding company and influential ODS backroom figure Tomáš Grdlička. It was this very group that former Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek once pointed to, calling Grdlička's circle "godfathers" and "party outcasts" who had turned the party into a tool for personal commercial dealings.

One document from early 2018 deserves particular mention — an agreement signed by then-mayor Oldřich Lomecký of ODS, granting free use of a Fiat Panda car which, per its official wording, was meant to serve "in the spirit of civic responsibility" to support the work of Prague 1's volunteer firefighters. Two things about the document are suspicious: the name of whoever provided the car has been carefully blacked out, and according to city hall staff, despite the car being registered to the fire brigade, it is Dvořák who still drives it around for his personal errands to this day.

Read also: Smoke, coals and a blanket on the grass: 9 spots in Prague where you can legally grill and picnic

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz