Klaus signs bill to speed up Supreme Administrative Court

President Václav Klaus has ratified a legislative amendment aimed at speeding up the settlement of complaints filed with the Supreme Administrative Court. The court will, for the first time, have the ability to overturn contested decisions without their being returned to district courts, as was hitherto the case. The amendment to this practice is expected to accelerate the work of the court by at least half a year. The new law also gives the ombudsman the authority to file cases in the public interest directly to administrative courts, which could previously be done only through a state prosecutor.