Former regional governor David Rath remains in custody

A court in Prague on Thursday rejected a request by former Central Bohemian governor David Rath to be released from custody. Mr Rath, a former prominent member of the Social Democrats, was arrested in May 2012 on corruption charges; he faces accusations of manipulating public contracts awarded by the region. Another defendant in the case, the former director of a central Bohemian hospital Kateřina Pancová, was released from custody last week. The trial against Mr Rath and 10 other people started in August, and is expected to conclude in the coming months.

Author: Jan Richter