Former transport minister charged and released

Former transport minister and Public Affairs leader Vít Bárta who is being investigated by police in connection with information leaks from the police force has been charged and released. Mr. Bárta was released on Friday evening after spending 24 hours in detention. The police have imposed an information embargo on the case and Vít Bárta himself has refused to comment apart from telling journalists he was innocent of the charges against him. According to the internet news site idnes.cz the Public Affairs leader, who once owned the biggest detective agency in the land, has been charged in connection with information leaks of police wiretappings of conversations between the former Prague mayor Pavel Bém and influential Prague businessman Roman Janoušek. The head of the information division of the anti-corruption police Jan Petržílek has also been questioned and charged in connection with the case.