Funeral for former prime minister scheduled for Wednesday

The funeral for former prime minister Stanislav Gross, who died this week at the age of 45, will be held on Wednesday, April 22, his widow and family have confirmed. A private ceremony will take place at the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul at Vyšehrad for family and friends, but members of the public will be able to pay their last respects between 8:30 and 10 AM. Mr Gross served as interior minister before taking up the post of PM, which he held for less than a year. At 34, he was the Czech Republic's youngest-ever premier but was forced to step down after failing to explain how he had financed a 4.2 million crown apartment. He later worked as a lawyer; it was reported that Mr Gross had been suffering from ALS.

Author: Jan Velinger