Lawsuit behind judge's suspicious return to judiciary, Prague court head says

Prague, Feb 25 (CTK) - Ondrej Havlin, a Czech judge accused of corruption, who in the past withdrew as a judge but later resumed the post, achieved his then return to the judiciary based on a lawsuit and he received 900,000 crowns in compensation of his loss of earnings, Prague City Court head Jan Svacek said yesterday.

Justice Minister Pavel Blazek (Civic Democrats, ODS) called Havlin's professional career "strange" on Sunday.

Havlin became a judge in 1981. From December 1992 he took an unpaid leave, with the consent of his superior, the then Prague 2 district court chairman, in order to work as Czech ambassador to Croatia and eventually to Bulgaria in 1993-1998.

"The Prague City Court management then decided, in accordance with the Justice Ministry's legal position, that Ondrej Havlin's mandate as a judge ended. That is why it later refused to reinstall him as a Prague 2 court judge," Svacek told CTK.

Havlin, however, challenged the decision at the district court in Pribram, central Bohemia, and the Central Bohemian Regional Court, which decided on his comeback as a judge of the Prague 2 court and ordered that almost 900,000 crowns be paid to him in compensation of his loss of earnings," Svacek said.

In 1998, the government dismissed Havlin from the post of ambassador to Bulgaria after Bulgarian authorities had complained about his conduct.

According to the Bulgarian newspaper Standart, Havlin shocked guests at a reception hosted on the eve of the October 28 Czech national holiday by making statements insulting to Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry complained about Havlin in 1998, accusing him of driving over the foot of a customs officer and removing a border barrier himself.

Havlin has stayed in custody since Saturday on suspicion of corruption linked to his decision making as a judge. Besides him, prosecution of another five persons has been launched, a state attorney, a defence lawyer and and articled clerk, and two persons from outside the judiciary.

The police say the case is unique with its system of cronyism and strong ties between the suspects.