The Supreme Audit Office objects to the removal of its headquarters from the list of police-protected buildings
PRESS RELEASE ON THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO REMOVE THE SUPREME AUDIT OFFICE FROM THE LIST OF POLICE-PROTECTED BUILDINGS – 29 July 2026
The Supreme Audit Office (SAO) strongly objects to the decision adopted by the Government of the Czech Republic on 27 July 2026 to remove the SAO headquarters from the list of buildings protected by the Police of the Czech Republic, on the grounds that the SAO building represents the "lowest level of security risk."
The headquarters of the Czech National Bank has been added to the list of protected buildings in place of the SAO. "Strengthening the protection of one key state institution should not come at the expense of another. Security risks are subject to change and cannot be assessed solely on the basis of the current situation. We consider the Government's decision to be an attack on an independent institution whose audit activities often make life uncomfortable for public officials," said Miloslav Kala, President of the SAO.
The decision was adopted without prior consultation with the SAO or any formal consultation process. While the SAO fully respects the Government's authority to determine the organisation of security arrangements for state buildings, it considers this decision to be ill-conceived in terms of its security, organisational, and financial implications.
The SAO points out that it handles documents at various levels of classification and that the building also houses the Parliamentary Library and the Archives of the Chamber of Deputies, both of which contain valuable historical collections. The SAO therefore considers replacing police protection with a private security provider to pose a significant security risk.
The SAO also warns that the decision would entail additional costs amounting to tens of millions of Czech crowns in order to provide alternative security arrangements. These expenditures would place an additional burden on the state budget and would require an increase in the SAO's budget allocation.
The SAO will therefore request that the Government reconsider its decision and initiate discussions on a solution that ensures appropriate protection of the headquarters of the Czech National Bank without compromising the security and effective functioning of the SAO.
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office