Klaus's think tank issues first book, on recent amnesty

Prague, Jan 24 (CTK) - The Institute of Vaclav Klaus, in which the outgoing Czech president plans to work after his mandate expires, has issued a book of texts on the controversial presidential amnesty that Klaus announced in his New Year address, Klaus's official website writes Thursday.

This has been the first book published by Klaus's new think tank.

Klaus will leave the presidential post on March 7.

The publication entitled Spor o amnestii (Dispute over the amnesty) includes the full text of the amnesty, Klaus's public statements on it and reactions by Czech politicians as well as philosophical and legal texts on the amnesty and letters sent to Klaus by those directly or indirectly concerned by the amnesty or those who supported Klaus because they "oppose the media hunt and the shallow misuse of the constitutional institute of amnesty," according to Klaus's website.

The Vaclav Klaus Institute issued the book in cooperation with the Center for Economics and Politics (CEP), a think tank that Klaus founded in 1998. The CEP has been regularly publishing various collections of texts on various topics. Its previous book was on shale gas.

Klaus's extensive amnesty was criticised because it halted the criminal prosecution of vast economic and property crime if the proceedings lasted more than eight years and if the suspects did not face more than ten years in prison.

The Prague Municipal Court ruled on Wednesday that the amnesty is not in accordance with the constitution since the government did not discuss it beforehand.

But legal experts whom CTK addressed share the view that the amnesty only needs to be countersigned by the prime minister, which happened, and the government's approval is not required.