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The Prague High Court has overruled the decision of the Pilsen regional court in West Bohemia, which rejected the re-opening of the case of Jiri Kajinek. Mr Kajinek, who is serving a life sentence for double murder committed in 1993, insists he was framed by the police. Mr Kajinek's lawyer claims to have new evidence that proves Mr Kajinek's innocence.

For his part, Stanislav Gross said on Sunday that he would not resign, and said that the Christian Democrats had violated the coalition agreement by calling on him to do so. Mr Gross said that he did not believe that the Christian Democrats could remain in his government if its leaders continued to question his trustworthiness. Party chairman Miroslav Kalousek, after meeting privately with Mr Gross the previous day, had told journalists that the prime minister should step down for having failed to provide clear answers over the questionable financing of his luxury Prague flat, and his wife's business dealings.

The Czech state last year helped to repair over 17,000 flats in the modern apartment blocs known colloquially as "panelaky", about 3,700 flats more than in 2003. The general director of the Union of developers and builders said that to keep the apartment blocs in ideal condition, about 100,000 flats per year would need to be repaired. But cooperatives often fail to agree on scheduling repairs, and private owners are reluctant to pay for maintenance on building occupied primarily by people paying regulated rent.

The Christian Democrats, a junior party in the ruling coalition government, have returned to their earlier position demanding that Prime Minister Stanislav Gross step down for failing to make fully clear how he financed his luxury Prague flat and how his wife secured business loans to buy other property. After a meeting on Saturday morning between with the Christian Democrats leader, Miroslav Kalousek, the prime minister said Kalousek's party should leave the Cabinet if its members did not trust him. Mr Gross also threatened to ask President Vaclav Klaus to sack the three Christian Democrat ministers. For his part, Mr Kalousek told the media that his party's ministers have no intention of quitting their posts. He said it was the "prime minister's scandals" that had led people to question the government's trustworthiness. Mr Kalousek said that the future of this government is danger if Mr Gross remains at its helm.