No crime in IntMin's firing of police president, says attorney

Prague, Oct 11 (CTK) - Czech Interior Minister Jan Kubice committed no crime by dismissing the then police president Petr Lessy from the police, state attorney Jirina Fronkova told CTK Thursday, adding that she has shelved the complaint that Lessy lodged against Kubice over his dismissal.

Kubice dismissed Lessy on the basis of an accusation that the Security Forces Inspection (GIBS) levelled against him in late August.

The GIBS suspects Lessy of abuse of power and libel by hinting, in a press interview in 2011, at high-ranking south Moravian police officer Jaroslav Vanek's links to a broken-up criminal gang including policemen.

According to Lessy, Kubice abused his power as minister by not having checked the GIB's accusation on his own before sacking him from the police.

The ministry argues that the law does not bind Kubice to carry out such a check.

Lessy's defence lawyer Vaclav Laska said Lessy will ask for a check of the state attorney's decision to shelve the case. "We will also further extend the [Lessy's] criminal complaint to include more information," Laska said.

He said he wants to prove that Kubice acted unlawfully not only by failing to check Lessy's accusation by GIBS. However, Laska would not say what else Kubice has committed in his opinion.

Relations between Lessy and Kubice were tense for many months before Lessy's departure. Kubice openly urged Lessy to resign as police president, which Lessy repeatedly refused to do.

Under the law, Czech police president cannot be dismissed unless based on criminal accusations.

Kubice sacked Lessy on August 29 immediately after the GIBS levelled accusations against him. Later on the same day, Kubice appointed Lessy's deputy Martin Cervicek new police president.