State attorney drops request for Nečas’s immunity to be lifted

State attorney Ivo Ištvan has dropped a request for the Chamber of Deputies to lift former prime minister Petr Nečas’ immunity so as to allow criminal proceedings to be taken against him in an alleged bribery case. Mr Ištván, who is overseeing the case, said such proceedings could not be taken against the former prime minister or anybody else until the scope of parliamentary immunity was clearly resolved.

The move comes a day after the Supreme Court halted the prosecution of three former MPs charged in the same case. They faced corruption charges over a deal made last November; they were opposed to a government bill but agreed to quit their seats in the lower house in return for lucrative posts in state-run firms. Their arrest in June triggered the fall of the government. However, the Supreme Court said they were covered by parliamentary immunity at the time the alleged offence took place.

Author: Jan Richter