Prague, Sept 7 (CTK) – An unlawful interference in a suspect’s communication with his defence lawyer occurred in the case of Shahram Abdullah Zadeh, a Czech-Iranian businessman, since its transcription was part of the investigation file, the lower house commission for the supervision of police wiretappings stated yesterday.
Unlike the police, the state attorney’s office has not drawn responsibility for the mistake so far, the commission’s head Daniel Korte told journalists.
Zadeh is suspected of a huge tax evasion. In separate proceedings, he has been charged with influencing witnesses.
The commission dealt with the latter case’s circumstances.
It stated that the supervising state attorney, when proposing that a court extend Zadeh’s stay in custody in March, submitted documents including the transcribed wiretappings of Zadeh’s phone conversations. One of them includes the name of Zadeh’s defence lawyer.
In February, a complaint was filed over the wiretappings by the Bar Association, since the law bans the wiretapping of conversations between suspects and their defence lawyers.
A court ordered that the relevant recordings be deleted.
The commission heard Supreme State Attorney Pavel Zeman yesterday.
It came to the conclusion that Zadeh’s rights were really infringed upon.
“This amounts to infringing upon a right that has been guaranteed by the Charter of fundamental rights and freedoms, the right to a fair trial, Korte said.
In a resolution, the commission stated that the state attorney’s office has not drawn responsibility in connection with the mistake so far.
Michal Galat, the state attorney who previously supervised the Zadeh case, told CTK that he does not share the commission’s view.
According to Czech Radio’s news server, High State Attorney Ivo Istvan withdrew Galat from the case a few days ago and filed a disciplinary complaint against him.
Korte said at its last meeting before the end of the Chamber of Deputies’ election term, the commission plans to consider asking the government to establish a special body to investigate the crimes of state attorneys, similar to the General Inspection of Security Corps (GOBS), whose task is to investigate suspected offences made by police.
