Chamber votes to lift immunity of former Prague mayor Svoboda

The Chamber of Deputies voted in favour Wednesday of stripping former Prague mayor Bohuslav Svoboda of parliamentary immunity so he can face criminal proceedings. The vote in favour was 101 of the 175 lawmakers present with 55 against. The debate was concluded Tuesday without a vote being held. Now an MP for the Civic Democrats, Mr. Svoboda is accused along with other councillors of breach of competition rules and breach of trust in connection with Prague’s Opencard electronic card system. He describes the accusations as nonsensical and politically motivated but says he is in favour of his immunity being lifted.

Author: Chris Johnstone