Senate committee recommends that Jiri Cunek be stripped of immunity

The immunity committee of the Czech Senate today recommended that Christian Democrat chairman Jiri Cunek, who is minister for regional development in the new government, be stripped of his immunity so that criminal proceedings can be launched against him. Mr Cunek is suspected of having taken a bribe of 500,000 CZK five years ago when he was mayor of the town of Vsetin in north Moravia. Cunek dismisses the accusation and said he wants to be stripped of immunity so that he can be exonerated. A final decision will be made by a plenary session of the Senate in about two weeks time.