Czech court acquits former Czech PM's office head, wife Nagyova

Jana Nagyova, the once head of former Czech prime minister Petr Necas' office, and now wife, was acquitted by a Czech court on Friday for charges of abusing the country's military intelligence (VZ).

The court also acquitted two former VZ heads, Ondrej Palenik and Milan Kovanda, and VZ agent Jan Pohunek.

Helena Kralova, judge of Prague 1 district court, found the acts mentioned in the indictment were not of a criminal nature.

According to prosecutor Rostislav Bajger, Nagyova tasked military intelligence with shadowing Necas' then wife Radka Necasova for personal reasons in 2012, abusing her power. The VZ was suspected of having secretly followed Necas' former wife under Nagyova's orders, with the aim of obtaining material to discredit her as Nagyova's rival. Bajger called for Nagyova to be sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison and Palenik, Kovanda, and Pohunek to be given similar prison sentences. He said the guilt of all three defendants had been proven.

However, the defendants denied any wrongdoing. Defense lawyers argued the operation focusing on Radka Necasova in November 2012 was not spying, but rather aimed at protecting the Necas family from a potential danger.

The verdict had not yet taken effect when the public prosecutor appealed on the spot. The decision on the soldiers was examined by the appeals court in Prague that returned the case to Kralova. The judge will now have to try the case in a public main trial.

Besides the charge of wiretapping, Nagyova is also facing bribery charges. Necas is also implicated in the case.

The spying scandal led to the fall of former prime minister Necas' government. Necas stepped down in 2013 and declared he was withdrawing from politics. He then divorced Necasova and married Nagyova. Endit