Former head of president’s forest administration gets pardon

Miloš Zeman has awarded a presidential pardon to the former head of the Lány Forestry Administration Miloš Balák, who was recently sentenced to three years in prison for manipulating a CZK 200 million public tender. The president took Balák’s “integrity and diligence” into consideration and came to the conclusion that Balák’s criminal act was less responsible for his sentencing rather than where he works, Prague Castle spokesman Jiří Ovčáček announced in a press release sent to the Czech News Agency on Tuesday.

Mr Balák told daily Deník N that he had asked the president for the pardon himself and that he is grateful that Miloš Zeman had helped him in a crucial moment of his life.

The Lány Forestry Administration is a contributory organization of the Office of the President of the Republic, Miloš Balák was a subordinate of the President's Chancellor Vratislav Mynář.