Prague City to Negotiate the Sale of Czech Post Building on Jindřišská

The City of Prague plans to enter into negotiations with Interior Minister Vít Rakušan regarding Czech Post’s proposed sale of buildings on Jindřišská and Moravská streets.

Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, Czech Post remains committed to selling these buildings through an e-auction, a decision that city authorities believe is not in the best interest of Prague or the Czech Republic.

“The news that Czech Post plans to offer the Jindřišská building through an e-auction, instead of a direct sale to the capital as previously discussed, came as a surprise,” stated Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda.

“We are analyzing the situation and preparing for all possible options. However, we strongly prefer negotiations for a direct sale, which would be clearly in the public interest of the city and the country. That’s why I have requested a joint meeting with Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan and Czech Post management to find a win-win solution as soon as possible.” Mayor Svoboda expects the meeting to take place no later than the next Prague council meeting, which is scheduled for next Thursday.

According to the city, selling the buildings through an e-auction does not align with the public interest, as acquiring the properties would directly benefit the citizens through public projects, which may not be the case with private owners.

Mayor Svoboda intends to initiate negotiations with the Ministry of the Interior to ensure that the public interest is considered during the sale, rather than solely focusing on maximizing profits for the seller.

Additionally, the city authorities find it unfortunate that they learned about the future e-auctions through the media, without any prior consultation, despite having personal meetings as recently as last week. Prague authorities argue that this approach is inadequate and diminishes the credibility of both Czech Post and the Ministry of the Interior.

“Furthermore, the Legislative Department of the Prague Municipality has been assisting Czech Post in justifying the legality of the direct sale throughout the process,” explained Martin Kubelka, the director of the Prague Municipality.

Simultaneously, the city has informed the post office that it is willing to discuss all the details of a direct sale at the June meeting of the City Council.

Prague is prepared to pay half of the purchase price as soon as possible, thereby immediately assisting the post office with its current financial situation. In contrast, conducting an auction would cause a delay of several weeks to months.