News

The Czech Republic's largest jackpot of 400 million went to one winner in the Sportka lottery game, Vaclav Friedmann, a spokesman for the Sazka lottery company told the CTK news agency. The company does not yet know when and where the bet was placed. Sazka registered 78 new millionaires this year. Winnings paid out to them exceeded one billion crowns.

Olomouc Chief Prosecutor Ivo Ištván has said he does not believe there are grounds on which to renew corruption charges against three former Civic Democrat MPs who were suspected of accepting bribes in return for allowing the former centre-right government to survive. The three are believed to have laid down their mandates in return for lucrative posts in state owned companies. Although the Olomouc chief prosecutor appeared confident that he had the evidence needed to prove their guilt two separate rulings by the Supreme Court have gone in the former deputies’ favour. The court ruled that Petr Tluchoř, Marek Šnajdr, and Ivan Fuksa cannot be prosecuted for alleged corruption since their actions were covered by parliamentary immunity – both in and outside the Chamber of Deputies. The chief prosecutor said that such a broad interpretation of parliamentary immunity effectively ruled out further charges.

The chairman of the Senate, Social Democrat Milan Štech has urged President Miloš Zeman to speak out about the purpose of a secret meeting he had with deputy heads of the Social Democratic Party in the absence of party leader Bohuslav Sobotka. The meeting, held shortly after the results of the country’s early general elections were announced, is widely regarded as the cue to an attempted coup against the Social Democrat leader. President Zeman who had a number of supporters within the party led by deputy chair Michal Hašek, has not commented on the meeting.

More than five thousand parents in Prague failed to enrol their child in a nursery school which presents a serious problem for mothers who want to go back to work after spending time on maternity leave, the internet news site idnes.cz reports. The report says some mothers have taken drastic measures and are leaving their children at supervised children’s corners in shopping malls for as long as five to six hours a day in order to be able to work part-time. Children’s corner supervisors at Zličín, Chodov and Černý Most have confirmed the report saying it presents a serious problem since these corners do not afford a place where children can eat or rest and merely serve as supervised playgrounds.