Prosecutor: Judge’s case should not have come under amnesty

A Czech judge accused of corruption should not have those charges dropped under a presidential amnesty, according to Prague’s chief prosecutor Lenka Bradáčová, the newspaper Právo reported. Ústi nad Labem bankruptcy judge Jiří Berka was cleared under a section of the amnesty that halts prosecutions in cases running for over eight years for which the maximum term is 10 years. The prosecutor says as Judge Berka’s alleged crime was committed as part of a criminal conspiracy the maximum term would have been increased by one third – making him ineligible for the controversial amnesty announced by President Václav Klaus on New Year’s Day. An official from the Prague chief prosecutor’s office has filed a complaint against the halting of the case.

Author: Ian Willoughby