PRAGUE, July 10 -- Czech President Milos Zeman on Tuesday afternoon appointed Jan Knezinek as new justice minister after his predecessor Tatana Mala announced her resignation over plagiarism allegations on Monday, said Zeman's spokesman Jiri Ovcacek.
Mala was in the post of justice minister only 13 days. Zeman accepted Mala's resignation on Tuesday afternoon.
After Mala announced her resignation over plagiarism allegations on Monday, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that he would ask Zeman to name him interim justice minister. This raised strong criticism, mainly in connection with the prosecution Babis faces over a suspected EU subsidy fraud.
On Tuesday, Babis backpedalled as saying his words on Monday were his spontaneous reaction. He said on Twitter that he does not want to face a "stupid" campaign launched against him by the opposition and opponents.
Knezinek, 39, is an expert in constitutional law. He has been working at the Government Office. He worked in the former government three years ago as an "investigator" in charge of enquiring into suspected unlawful steps by ministers or other senior officials. Babis will inaugurate Knezinek on Wednesday morning.
Babis's second minority government with a coalition of ANO and the Social Democrats will undergo a confidence vote of Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday.