FT: Síkela accuses Křetínský of using his media to criticize the Czech takeover of NET4GAS

Brussels/Prague, 11 October (ČTK) - Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela accuses billionaire Daniel Křetínský of using his media assets to criticize the Czech government’s takeover of gas pipeline operator NET4GAS. The Financial Times (FT) reports this today on its website. Křetínský’s Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH) said, according to the newspaper, that it rejects the allegations made by Síkela and fully respects independent editorial policy.

The minister told the newspaper that he finds it strange that Křetínský’s tabloid Blesk has published a series of articles criticizing the government’s takeover of NET4GAS, a company the billionaire had also bid for. He also said that attacks on him by newspapers owned by Křetínský should raise questions about how the billionaire uses his media assets abroad.

„“We categorically and unequivocally reject the allegations made by Minister Síkela. We fully respect independent editorial policy; we do not dictate topics, but neither will we suppress them,“ EPH said.

Martina Říhová, head of Czech News Center, the publisher of Blesk, added that media interest in the „suspicious“ purchase of the gas pipelines was not driven by the newspaper’s ownership structure, but by natural curiosity about this major state transaction.

NET4GAS holds the exclusive licence to transport natural gas in the Czech Republic. The government’s takeover of the company has also been criticized by the opposition and other media, including the Newstream.cz website and the Echo24 weekly, The Financial Times notes.

Křetínský is one of the most influential figures in Czech business. He controls a range of industrial, commercial, financial and media companies in the Czech Republic and abroad. In its latest ranking, Forbes magazine places him second among the richest Czechs, estimating his wealth at 210.9 billion koruna.

Křetínský’s Czech Media Invest (CMI) publishes newspapers in the Czech Republic including Blesk, Aha!, E15 and Sport, as well as dozens of magazines, including Reflex, Svět motorů and ABC. It also has operations abroad, including in France.

Although Křetínský sold his stake in the French newspaper Le Monde last month, he still owns several French radio stations and magazines. According to recent information from sources cited by The Financial Times, the billionaire is also now interested in buying the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.