Municipal Court weighs whether to reopen Ďuričko trial

Prague’s Municipal Court is considering an appeal by jailed businessman Bohumír Ďuričko’s legal defence asking for the re-opening of his trial on the basis of new expert assessments. Mr Ďuričko was found guilty in the murder of Václav Kočka, jr., who he shot in a bar in Prague on the night of October 9, 2008. As a result he was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison. The incident took place some time after a book signing at the location by then-Social Democrat leader Jiří Paroubek. Mr Ďuričko has put forward new expert assessments to try and prove that the act was not murder but manslaughter; the convict is reportedly trying secure a lighter jail sentence. After hearing from a number of judicial experts on Tuesday, the court postponed further deliberation until April 2.