Auditors begin work at Czech TV

If statements by former members of the CT governing board are correct, the audit's outcome could open another, ugly chapter in the debate over control of the TV station. Last week, parliament's appointment of a new CT director, Jiri Balvin, led to a settlement with striking workers and a group of journalists who had taken over the newsroom Christmas Eve. Parliament also sacked the network's governing board, the CT Council.

The strikers, who won enormous public support and forced the government to reform media laws, welcomed Balvin. They consider him a suitable replacement for Jiri Hodac, whose December appointment to the director's post by the CT Council triggered the dispute over political influence in the media. The dispute drew international attention. The European Commission, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the U.S. State Department were among those raising red flags over what appeared to be efforts to clamp down on media freedom.

But amid the furor, members of the CT Council insisted that some of Hodac's opponents were actually using the media freedom issue as a smoke screen to hide questionable financial deals. Last month, before she and others on the governing board were removed, council member Jana Dedeckova told reporters that officials were studying possible mismanagement of CT funds tied to an investment company. She said questions had been raised about transactions as far back as 1992.

Before parliament stepped in, the CT Council and Hodac's team hired an independent auditor to look at years of CT records and determine whether the allegations were true. Parliament later decided to support the audit, and Balvin on Monday ratified the contract. The firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers was chosen for the project. A timetable for completion of the audit has not been announced.

(la/dpa)