Prague lawyer not to receive money from Social Democrats

Social Democrat chairman Jiri Paroubek told TV Nova on Saturday that his party will not pay Prague lawyer Zdenek Altner 176 million crowns (over 8 million USD) he is asking for in exchange for accepting an out-of-court settlement with the party regarding its alleged huge debt. The Social Democrats hired Mr Altner in a legal dispute over their Prague headquarters in the 1990s. He now says the party owes him 18 billion crowns (or 850 million US dollars) for his services. The amount demanded includes interest and sanctions.