Lessy unhappy with verdict from closed hearing

Former police president Petr Lessy has expressed disagreement with the verdict of the Prague 7 court, which pronounced him guilty of slandering a subordinate and abuse of office. Mr Lessy claims he is innocent of the charges leveled against him and has protested against the fact that the court decision came after a closed hearing, not a public one. He told the press on Thursday that he would most likely appeal the court’s decision. Mr Lessy was accused of giving his press secretary documents that were damaging to the then deputy police chief in Zlín, Jaroslav Vaňek. The documents, that were later passed on to a journalist, allegedly presented proof of Mr Vaňek’s links with the Tofl gang.