President grants seven pardons

President Vaclav Klaus on Thursday granted seven pardons. His office said those pardoned had been selected on humanitarian grounds. Among the seven, are two Ukrainian nationals who were to have been extradited from the country. The President’s Office recently came under fire for Mr. Klaus’ choice in granting pardons with allegations that the system was corrupt. The president issued a vehement denial that the system could be open to corruption but some politicians have suggested the granting of pardons should be a shared responsibility with another independent body.