Czech Television has renewed its professional relationship with one of its most controversial former executives, awarding a multi-million crown consulting contract to a man whose career was once derailed by revelations of his ties to the communist-era security apparatus. František Lambert, a former top manager who was forced out of the public broadcaster nearly two decades ago, is once again receiving public funds to audit the very institution he once helped lead.
The current arrangement centers on a framework agreement for consulting services valued at 3 million CZK. Signed on February 18, the contract was awarded to LCG – 360° Consulting, a firm owned and operated by Lambert, without an open tender process. The scope of the work involves the “provision of independent verification of internal processes, procedures, and internal management documentation to assess their effectiveness, reliability, and compliance with applicable regulations.”
This return to the halls of the public broadcaster marks a stark reversal of the events of 2007. On October 31 of that year, Lambert was compelled to leave his office at the broadcaster’s headquarters in Prague after it became public knowledge that he had served in the People’s Militias (Lidové milice)—the armed wing of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) used to maintain the regime’s grip on power.
A Blueprint for Political Ascent
While his militia membership was the catalyst for his 2007 exit, recently surfaced documents from the National Archive reveal a more calculated trajectory of political loyalty during the “normalization” period. Records from the Central Committee of the KSČ depict Lambert not merely as a passive member, but as an “ideologically reliable” asset within the industrial sector.
In August 1985, while employed at the Kovosvit plant in Sezimovo Ústí, a 30-year-old Lambert became a party candidate. By August 13, 1987, he was admitted as a full member of the KSČ. His application was bolstered by colleagues who praised his political vigor. One recommender, Miloš Kubíska, described him as a “capable young worker” who excelled in “work with youth,” noting that Lambert fully applied his “political and moral qualities” to the cause.
Another supporter, Bohumil Holý, a party member since 1947, lauded Lambert as a “selfless functionary,” particularly within the Pioneer Organization of the Union of Socialist Youth (PO SSM). This period of his life was defined by a drive for “political growth,” a goal Lambert explicitly stated in his own application, noting that party membership was a necessary step for his further advancement.
The ‘Moral Model’ of Socialist Labor
Beyond party membership, Lambert sought distinction through the regime’s competitive labor structures. He earned a silver medal in the Education Brigades of Socialist Work (BSP), a program designed to identify workers who possessed both productivity and “ideological reliability.” According to the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, these brigades were intended to serve as “unequivocal moral models” for other workers.
The archival records indicate that Lambert’s ascent was systematic. After his admission to the party, he was tasked with overseeing the “people’s control commission” at Kovosvit, ensuring party oversight of the plant’s operations. He was also assigned to a more opaque task: managing an “experiment” regarding “material interest” within the plant’s economic mechanism, a common euphemism for adjusting incentive structures to align with state goals.
From the Factory to the Militias
The transition from party loyalist to armed operative was a planned progression. While Lambert originally intended to join the plant’s unit of the People’s Militias during his candidacy period, the KSČ organization decided to delay his entry until he had achieved full party membership. In September 1987, shortly after receiving his party book, Lambert was ordered to join the militias.
The People’s Militias operated as a paramilitary force, distinct from the regular army, tasked with protecting the socialist order and suppressing internal dissent. This specific affiliation is what eventually made his position at Czech Television untenable in 2007, as the public broadcaster sought to distance itself from individuals associated with the regime’s enforcement arms.
| Date/Period | Role/Event | Affiliation/Context |
|---|---|---|
| August 1985 | Party Candidate | KSČ (Kovosvit Sezimovo Ústí) |
| August 13, 1987 | Full Party Member | KSČ / People’s Control Commission |
| September 1987 | Militia Member | Lidové milice (People’s Militias) |
| Oct 31, 2007 | Departure from ČT | Exit following militia revelations |
| February 18, 2024 | Consultant | LCG – 360° Consulting / Czech Television |
Institutional Justification and Silence
The decision to bring Lambert back into the fold has raised questions about the ethics of awarding public contracts to individuals with such histories, especially via a non-competitive process. When questioned about the appropriateness of this arrangement, Czech Television’s spokesperson, Michal Pleskot, emphasized the technical requirements of the role.
Pleskot stated that the contract requires a provider who knows “in the greatest possible detail” the television processes and production procedures. Regarding Lambert’s history as a militia member and party functionary, the broadcaster took a detached stance, asserting that “personal matters of František Lambert… Are not for us to comment on in connection with the concluded contract.”
Lambert himself has remained largely silent on the matter. In a brief email response to inquiries, he stated that he had already described these events in the past and felt “no demand to express himself on these things in this way again.”
The return of a former executive under these circumstances highlights a recurring tension within Czech public institutions: the balance between technical expertise and the moral imperatives of lustration—the process of vetting officials for ties to the former communist regime.
The current consulting agreement is a two-year framework, meaning Lambert’s firm will remain integrated into the broadcaster’s internal auditing processes through 2026. Whether this arrangement will face further scrutiny from the broadcaster’s supervisory board or public auditors remains to be seen.
We invite readers to share their perspectives on the leverage of public funds for consultants with ties to former regimes in the comments below.
