Audit of Prague Jewish community's finances reveals poor management

An audit of the Prague Jewish community found that poor property management may have cost the community millions of dollars over the last years. The audit by Ernst & Young was ordered by the community’s leader, Tomas Jelinek, who began his second term in spring 2004 promising greater economic transparency and an improvement of the community’s overall financial practices. A statement accompanying the audit claims that in the past two years, there were 16 instances in which community rules were violated by its own leaders or representatives at its real estate management firm in the areas of tenders, gift recording and the circulation of official documents. Jelinek told the news agency JTA that his intention in publicizing the audit was not to point fingers, but to move forward and institute reliable and responsible financial behavior. Members of Prague’s Jewish community voted Jelinek out early in November, but he has refused to accept the legality of the vote.