Court throws out treason charges

The Czech Republic's Constitutional Court on Wednesday threw out treason charges filed by a group of senators against former president Václav Klaus. Parliament's upper house, dominated by the leftwing Social Democrats, voted on March 4 to file the charges against the then outgoing president on the claim he had on several occasions acted outside the boundaries of the country’s constitution. Central to the treason charge was a controversial amnesty Mr Klaus declared on January 1. Had Mr Klaus - who stepped down on March 7 - been convicted as charged, the worst punishment he could have received was the loss of office and a ban from running for president again.