When we last met in January, Renata Vesecká was the Motorists’ guarantor for justice. Nine months later, she is in the thick of an election campaign as the lead of the party ticket in the Hradec Králové region.
Did you take long to consider the offer to head the party ticket?
It all came together quite quickly. In February or March, Petr Macinka – whom I consider a very decent person with consistent political views – approached me with the offer to lead the party in Hradec Králové. The city is close to me not only professionally; I practically grew up in the region and dare say I know the problems people here face. I also share the values of the Motorists, which I first encountered at their congress last December. I did take some time to think, but I reached a decision fairly quickly.
What does this new role mean to you personally?
First of all, it’s a very enriching experience. In my profession, I usually deal with lawyers, judges, prosecutors, or police officers. During the campaign, I’ve been much more in contact with ordinary people – those who don’t earn six-figure salaries, who go to work at six in the morning and come home at two in the afternoon to deal with all sorts of worries. Yesterday, for instance, I went to meet employees at the car plant in Kvasiny. It was extremely interesting to hear the views of people directly affected by the Green Deal and the fate of combustion engines. This weekend I’ll meet more voters in Hradec Králové, with Filip Turek, the lead candidate in Central Bohemia, also attending.
The Motorists were originally supposed to run together with Robert Šlachta’s Přísaha. Do you think it’s better that this didn’t happen?
Absolutely. Personally, I believe any coalitions or groupings are, to some degree, a fraud on voters. Parties that couldn’t enter parliament on their own – with their ideas, programs, and leaders – and that don’t represent enough voter support still end up with significant weight in parliament or even ministries. In other words, those whom citizens would not elect ultimately decide on fundamental matters affecting us all.
What are the Motorists’ chances, given that polls have them hovering around five percent?
I believe the Motorists can cross that threshold and enter parliament. They have strong leaders, a good program – which I fully support – and something to offer society. I hope voters will see this when they read the program and will give us their votes. Even if we don’t make it in the end, it will still be a valuable experience for me, one I’m very grateful for.
In one interview, Filip Turek said that ANO would be a natural coalition partner for the Motorists. How do you see this from the justice perspective?
ANO’s shadow justice minister Radek Vondráček is a fellow lawyer, and I can imagine we would share some views on the justice system. In terms of the justice framework, I believe that if cooperation ever did take place – though that’s very hypothetical at this stage – we would certainly find common ground.
What do you see as the justice system’s biggest problem?
I think it’s the rising compensation for wrongful decisions. Last year or the year before, nearly half a billion crowns was awarded in damages, and the costs keep growing every year. My idea is to set up an inspecting body within the Ministry of Justice – without adding new staff or creating a new office – to act as a control mechanism. One issue is holding those who make faulty decisions liable; the other is legislation itself. A major amendment to the Criminal Code was recently passed. In my view, it could have gone further in addressing problems that trouble the justice system – or at least opened a discussion about juvenile or even underage offenders. Violence among youth gangs is rising, and sadly, so is the number of the most serious crimes. It’s time to discuss lowering the age of criminal responsibility and possibly increasing the maximum penalties for the gravest crimes.
What did the amendment to the Criminal Code bring, and what fell short?
I fully agree with the introduction of alternative sentences instead of imprisonment. If the offender has no prior convictions, isn’t a psychopath, poses no danger to society, and there’s no risk of reoffending, then a hefty fine or confiscation of assets is an adequate penalty. But in corruption cases, it’s different. Here, and I speak for the Motorists as well, we are firmly against alternative sentences. If corruption is committed by public officials or those in positions of public trust, prison terms are appropriate. Punishment is not only preventive and repressive, but also educational – and in corruption cases, this aspect is crucial. For petty offenses, each case must be assessed individually; you can’t generalize.
How do you view the court’s decision on the undisclosed coalition case (brought by Volt Czechia against an alleged SPD coalition)?
The court dismissed the petition, but in the same decision acknowledged that it was indeed a hidden coalition. I see this as an evasive ruling – it feels like the court wanted to have it both ways. Public opinion must never dictate court decisions, in any phase of the election process, whether before or after. The court’s role is to decide clearly – yes or no. If something is white, I can’t call it black. Unfortunately, I haven’t read the full ruling, but I would be remiss if I didn't point out this kind of double-speak, which truly surprised me.
CV BOX
Renata Vesecká (born March 27, 1960, in Prague) is a lawyer and former Prosecutor General.
She graduated from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague. She served as an investigator at the District Prosecutor’s Office in Pardubice, and from 1988, she held the position of deputy district prosecutor (and later district prosecutor) in Havlíčkův Brod.
In 2000, she became the regional public prosecutor in Hradec Králové. On September 30, 2005, she was appointed by the government to lead the Prosecutor General’s Office, and on November 9, she was officially named Prosecutor General. She resigned from this post on February 28, 2011.
Her tenure formally ended at the end of April 2011, since when she has run her own legal practice, except for the period from November 2014 to June 2015, when she served as vice-chair of the Energy Regulatory Office.
In the past, she worked as a lecturer at the Judicial Academy in Kroměříž and was a member of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University in Brno. She also lectured at the University of Finance and Administration in Prague.
Currently, she is on the Motorists election ticket for the autumn parliamentary elections.