The management of the Municipal Council of Prague 10 lost the court, which will be paid for by taxpayers – WN24.cz – World News 24
Prague, September 5, 2022 (PROTEXT) – The final judgment on August 31, 2022 ended the four-year senseless dispute that was unleashed by the then new leadership of the Prague 10 City Hall – the winning coalition of the Pirates and the Vlasta movement. It was an unauthorized and unjustified dismissal of the University of Finance and Administration from the premises, for which it had a valid contract until 2031 and in which it has been based since 2004.
The pretext was the claim that, as a tenant, the school neglected routine maintenance of the windows. According to the forensic expert, these are mostly original windows and their age is more than 100 years. The pretext was all the more absurd because in 2018 a contract was reached with the previous management of the City Hall of Prague 10 with the alleged agreement that the repair is necessary and the VŠFS will provide 12 million CZK for the repair of the windows, which will be counted as increased rent, and there will be extension of the lease until 2031. At the same time, negotiations were started with the previous management of the town hall regarding two other necessary investments in the Estonská 500 building, namely the replacement of the boiler room (from 1996) and the repair of the roof covering.
Unfortunately, the pirates and the Vlasta coalition in the management of the town hall did not respect the contract, they did not provide the agreed cooperation. On the contrary, they launched court proceedings for the termination and evacuation of the school building. For four years, the building has been decaying, further destruction and falling off of windows and facades and loss of property and possibly endangering people. It is obvious that the originally calculated amount for the repair has since multiplied. Inactivity and delays also increase the cost of running the building in the form of huge energy costs. The boiler room in the school building was rented by a private company that buys gas at spot prices, and the advance payments are currently crushing the budget of the university, which receives no support from the state.
The court confirmed that the lease agreement is valid until 2031, the VŠFS met the conditions for the implementation of the repair and paid CZK 12 million, while the implementation did not take place due to a reason on the part of the City of Prague 10. The final judgment means that the City of Prague 10 must pay the VŠFS costs of CZK 130,000 . The University will initiate pending court proceedings on the implementation of window and roof repairs in accordance with the applicable contracts and obligations of the owner. He is also considering a claim for damages.
What this means for taxpayers and residents of the Prague 10 district is quite obvious. The pirates and the Vlasta coalition spent millions on a lawyer and dubious opinions that could have served the general good. Could it have been prevented? Yes. All that was needed was to adhere to the agreed agreements and, when a dispute arose, to sit down for negotiations, which the University of Finance and Administration initiated many times (unfortunately without success).
Although our university won the court case, it has little joy. The historic building is falling into disrepair due to the owner. VŠFS should contribute to its renovation and create a dignified environment not only for students and academic staff, but also for the residents of Prague 10, who used to go to this building to vote in the past. We look forward to new leadership with whom we are ready to seek a common solution.
Contact:
University of Finance and Administration, as