Zeman blames Hasenkopf for controversial article 2

In a statement released on Monday, President Miloš Zeman charged that Pavel Hasenkopf – a former legal aide at Prague Castle – was a co-author of the highly controversial article 2 in this year’s presidential amnesty. The article halted legal proceedings, including major cases of economic crime and corruption, lasting eight years or longer. Mr Zeman released the statement after studying material at the weekend provided by Mr Hasenkopf, who has himself strongly denied involvement.

The news website idnes suggests the president based his conclusion primarily on an email between Hasenkopf and former presidential aide Ladislav Jakl dated October 22 of last year, in which the lawyer suggested that cases that had been tied-up in the courts for years could be halted. Hasenkopf told news website idnes that while he prepared key steps to that aim, they were limited only to certain kinds of cases and had been radically altered in the final amnesty declared by the president. For his part, former president Václav Klaus told Právo at the weekend that he and he alone was the author of the amnesty declared on January 1.