Outgoing Czech President Václav Klaus granted partial amnesty to thousands of prisoners during his New Year’s Day speech.
The amnesty, which took effect Wednesday, applies to a number of politicians and businessmen suspected of corruption or fraud, including the former Czech football association boss František Chvalovský, businessmen Tomáš Pitr and Miroslav Provod. The amnesty will shorten or forgive sentences for those who didn’t kill, seriously wound or rape, as well as all prisoners who are 75 years and older and for those under house arrest.
The president also decided to stop criminal prosecutions that have dragged on for more than eight years if the crime involved is punishable by only a 10-year sentence, according to Czech media reports. The daily Právo points out that businessmen linked to the fraudulent H-system residential project, which financially harmed hundreds of people, might also benefit from the amnesty. The amnesty does not apply, however, to the prosecution of the former regional governor David Rath, suspected of corruption, and businessman Roman Janoušek, suspected of injuring a woman when driving drunk.
According to estimates from the Justice Ministry, the amnesty applies to approximately 7,400 of the total 23,000 prisoners in Czech prisons.
