President Pavel grants five pardons, his second use of constitutional power in two years

President Petr Pavel has granted five pardons, marking the second time in his two years in office that he has used this constitutional power. One pardon was given to a man whose driving caused a collision with a train during reduced visibility, resulting in the deaths of two passengers. The other pardons were granted to three men convicted of crimes related to marijuana cultivation and one man convicted of aiding in its distribution.

Mr. Pavel's predecessor, Miloš Zeman, had transferred the power to conduct clemency reviews to the Ministry of Justice, with the Office of the President only processing those that met conditions set by the former president. However, since last year, the presidential office has taken full control of the pardon process. Over 1,300 requests have been submitted to the office since then.