David Rath verdict overruled on grounds of illegal wiretapping

Prague’s Supreme Court has overruled the verdict in the David Rath corruption case on the grounds that the wiretapping used as key evidence in the case was illegal. The judge ruled that the court order licensing the wiretapping was not adequately justified. The case will now go back to the city’s Regional Court to be heard again. The verdict was made public earlier but not the reason for the court’s decision. David Rath, a former minister and regional governor, was last year found guilty of bribe-taking and sentenced to 8.5 years in prison and the forfeiture of CZK 20 million in property.