Czech president considers criminal complaint for alleged blackmail by foreign minister

​​​​​​​By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - Czech Republic's President Petr Pavel said Tuesday he is considering filing a criminal complaint against Foreign Minister Petr Macinka for what he described as alleged blackmail linked to a Cabinet appointment dispute, according to a media report.

Speaking at a news conference, Pavel said Macinka, the leader of the Motorists' Party, sent two text messages to the president via his adviser, Petr Kolar, which he described as "extremely serious," Radio Prague International reported.

The president said he has submitted a report to security services and handed the messages to his legal team for review, adding that he also made them public on social media.

According to Pavel, the messages were related to his refusal to appoint Filip Turek, a member of the Motorists' Party, as minister of the environment.

Pavel cited Turek's past social media posts as the reason for rejecting the nomination.

In one message, Macinka allegedly wrote, "He (the president) can have peace if I get Turek at the Ministry of the Environment. If not, I will burn bridges in a way that will go down in political science textbooks."

Another message warned that failure to enter negotiations would lead to "surprising consequences."

Macinka denied the allegations, saying his messages did not constitute blackmail.

"Attempting to influence someone’s stance in politics is the very essence of any negotiation," he told reporters, accusing Pavel of acting outside the constitutional framework by refusing to appoint Turek.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis described Macinka's remarks as "unfortunate" but rejected claims of blackmail.

"It was a private communication with an adviser and therefore certainly cannot be considered blackmail," Babis said in a statement to the Czech News Agency.

Tomio Okamura, leader of the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD), said he does not side with the president in the dispute.