Former police president cleared of slander charges

A Prague court has cleared the former police president Petr Lessy of slander charges, over which he was dismissed from office in 2012 by then interior minister Jan Kubice. The libel charge pressed against Lessy was based on statements he made in the press when he insinuated that a subordinate officer had swept criminal investigations under the rug. Mr. Lessy has vehemently denied the charges saying it had been a strategy to remove him from office since under Czech law the police president cannot be dismissed unless he is suspected of having committed a crime. Mr. Lessy now says he will strive to be reinstated.