Český rozhlas Plus dealt with the case of a senior citizen from Sušice. According to him, the man was taken in by fraudulent e-mails in which a woman from Togo, Africa, promised him a million dollars for helping to settle the estate of her murdered husband. According to the radio, the woman sent Švec a plane ticket to Brazil, where he received a suitcase allegedly containing gifts, which he was supposed to bring to Hong Kong. There were three kilograms of cocaine in the trunk. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison and will serve his sentence in the Czech Republic from the end of 2022.
“Given the applicant’s age, this sentence is de facto a life sentence. When making his decision, the President of the Republic also took into account the fact that in the Czech Republic the penalty for the same criminal offense is between eight and twelve years. The applicant has already served six years of his sentence abroad, less than two years ago he was transferred back to the Czech Republic, where he is serving the remainder. ATthe split pardon will reduce the sentence from twenty-seven to a total of eight years, which the convict will complete in November of this year, and will therefore be in line with the lower limit of the criminal rate set in the Czech Republic,” said the Castle in a press release.
Smuggling by plane
A Czech senior caught the attention of the police right after arriving in Hong Kong eight years ago, when he was looking for his suitcase, slightly disoriented. He received it as a gift after a two-week exhausting stay without money in Sao Paulo, as reported by the server iRozhlas.cz.
He came to Brazil via Africa to allegedly receive an inheritance he was supposed to have learned about in an email. “It’s a conspiracy. It was only about money, you can’t deal with mercy here at all. No one writes me back. I want to get home” said Švec during one of the phone calls from Lai Chi Chok prison. At the time of his arrest, Švec did not know a word of English and used web translators for written communication.
“I have never had or seen any cocaine. This is a Chinese hoax that is being done there for the whole world.” the pensioner explained angrily to Czech Radio.
In the prison there, he had to undergo stomach surgery, but behind bars he also glued bags or sewed eyelets. He also complained about a meal consisting of rice and beans. At least on the spot, Švec got to know another Czech pensioner, Luďek Havránek, who was convicted of a similar crime at the time.
Return from Hong Kong
Švec is the first ever Czech citizen who was extradited from Hong Kong back to his homeland on the basis of the treaty on mutual extradition of convicts. Havránek, who died two years ago, did not get to return home.
Graces for mothers
The President also decided to pardon the rest of the sentence – less than 300 days of the twenty-nine-year-old mother who was caring for three minor children. She received a sentence for less serious property crime and caused damage in the amount of less than thirteen thousand crowns. “The president particularly took into account the need to provide care for children between the ages of three and seven, who are now being looked after by their father. That way he can’t go to work, thereby worsening the family’s already unfavorable financial situation,” the presidential office wrote.
Furthermore, a mother who took care of her seven children between the ages of two and nine before being imprisoned was pardoned. As part of the pardon, she was spared the remainder of her prison sentence totaling four years and four months. She has already served part of it.
“She was sentenced for theft and unauthorized business that she committed 10 to 12 years ago. Their father took care of the children. Due to the demanding nature of the care, there is a risk of the children being taken away and placed in foster care or institutional care,” Hrad wrote. Both pardons were supported by the relevant child care authorities.
Instead of a foreigner pardoning a sentence
The last grace that Pavel granted was for a thirty-six-year-old foreigner and university student who has been living and working in the Czech Republic for seven years. Exand driving under the influence of alcohol crashed into two parked cars and caused damage of 112 thousand crowns. Although he paid everything, including a fine of 60,000 crowns, and lost his driver’s license for two years, he was threatened with the termination of his long-term residence permit for the misdemeanor.
“Together with his wife, he owns an apartment and has created all the necessary family, work and social background. Taxes apply he was never registered at the labor office nor did he receive social or other benefits,” Hrad explained why it would be pointless for the state to deprive him of it.
Under Pavlov’s predecessor, Miloš Zeman, pardons were assessed in the first phase by the Ministry of Justice, and only those that met the conditions set by the former president proceeded to the Castle. The Office of the President of the Republic (KPR) took over the agenda exclusively at the beginning of this year. Since then, according to the Castle, over 700 applications have arrived.
By granting a pardon, the president can stop criminal proceedings, reduce or pardon a sentence or erase a conviction. Among the Czech presidents, Václav Havel used the institute the most, who pardoned 1,247 criminals and previously as federal president another 601. Klaus granted pardons in 412 cases. Zeman decided on 26 pardons, including 17 in his second term. The last communist president, Gustáv Husák, handed out a total of 2,028 pardons in 1988 alone.
