In 2010-2012, PORG received Kč 100 million in donations. But we have no idea how much of this money came from the proud parents of alumni and how much from Roman’s business partners.



I donate, therefore I am

PORG claims to be an independent school. But a closer look at its management and funding suggests otherwise. PORG's board of directors speaks for itself. It is packed with Roman’s family members and business associates. However, if we are to understand on whom PORG really depends, we need to follow the money.

PORG’s revenues for the period 2010 – 2012 totalled some Kč 335 million. Of this, 50 per cent came from tuition fees, 30 per cent from donations and 20 per cent from state subsidies. The fees and subsidies are transparent. The donors are not.

PORG lists in its annual reports the names of its donors. But nowhere does it make public the actual size of their individual donations. For example, its annual report for 2012/13 reveals that a certain Daniel Beneš has given money to PORG but no further details are provided. PORG received over Kč 23 million in donations in that year. How much of that was donated by Mr Beneš remains a secret.

MfD claimed this week that Roman himself has given some Kč 28 million to PORG since 2006, as well as funding scholarships from the income of his family foundation. The value of these scholarships in 2012 /13 amounted to more than Kč 1 million according to the annual report.

The newspaper also claimed that Škoda JS has donated a staggering Kč 40 million to PORG. To remind readers, in 2004, Appian, the new owner of the recently privatised Škoda Plzeň, sold its nuclear division to a Russian state company. Škoda JS acknowledges that it supports PORG but provides no details of how or how much. Škoda JS is one of ČEZ's largest suppliers.

In the period 2010-2012, PORG received approaching Kč 100 million in donations. But we have no idea how much of this money came from Roman’s business partners and how much from the proud parents of the school’s alumni. In other words, it is possible that some donors are acknowledging their appreciation of Martin Roman, not the school.

For example, who paid BigBoard for PORG's billboard advertising campaign last year? If Roman is a beneficial owner of BigBoard, as the weekly Reflex has claimed, then any money paid to BigBoard goes into Roman's pocket. Imagine a situation in which a business associate of Roman's donates money to PORG, which then pays BigBoard, which then pays Roman.

PORG states that it spent almost Kč 38 million on procuring services between 2010-2012. Kč 23 million of this sum was spent on unspecified services bundled up under the heading 'other'. This is where PORG's spending on IT and advertising is hidden. And if no one paid for the advertising campaign? PORG itemises in-kind gifts in its annual reports. For example, Radek Pokorný is listed as a donor of legal services. Never mind that Pokorný is retained by ČEZ. And Miroslav Jansta is listed as a donor of basketball shirts and shorts. Never mind that ČEZ, as the biggest sponsor of Jansta’s ČEZ Basketball Nymburk, most likely paid for these shirts and shorts in the first place.

If no one paid for PORG's billboard campaign, BigBoard should be listed as an in-kind donor in PORG’s annual report for this year - regardless of who owns it. And in the meantime, keep an eye on who is advertising on BigBoard. Čtení pomáhá, the charitable project established and funded by Martin Roman is currently running a massive billboard campaign on BigBoard.

The dispute between Martin Roman and the academic head of PORG is of great public interest, and not only because the head is the son of Václav Klaus. The dispute matters because it might help shed light on Roman’s hidden business interests by encouraging PORG to be more open about its donors.

Without a public record of how much individual donors have given in cash, we can hardly rule out the possibility that this high-end 'independent' school is no different to any overpriced fancy goods boutique on Pařížská, namely a place for its owner and his business partners to wash their money.