Czech President Petr Pavel says he paid for his holiday in Morocco and a return flight to Czechia from his own funds. The holiday cost 3,750 euros, while the return flight, which allowed him to vote in the municipal elections, cost 15,000 euros.
In a statement published on Friday, the Presidential Office said it had neither paid for nor organised the private trip. Pavel returned to Czechia on a scheduled commercial flight.
Pavel said he wanted to clarify questions raised about the trip, stressing the importance of transparency while rejecting what he described as interference in his privacy. Coalition MPs had called for an explanation amid suspicions that he had not paid for the trip entirely himself.