Lawyer brought under disciplinary action for placing slanderous ad

The Czech Bar Association has lodged a disciplinary complaint against Vladimír Zavadil, a lawyer who placed an advertisement attacking then presidential candidate Karel Schwarzenberg that appeared in the tabloid Blesk on the eve of the final round of a presidential election in January. The complaint accuses Mr. Zavadil of not abiding by the legal statutes and professional ethics which require lawyers to act in upright, honorable and respectable manner at all times. The ad urged readers not to vote for Karel Schwarzenberg and made a number of statements, which Mr. Schwarzenberg's team characterized as lies. A police investigation into the matter was shelved earlier. If the disciplinary proceedings prove that he has broken his legal and ethical responsibilities, Mr. Zavadil may be facing a fine or even a ban on practicing law.